Hi solvers! Thanks for checking out my puzzle, and I hoped you enjoyed it. I might try to do an "easy cryptics" series in future as I think my puzzles can be a bit intimidating! As always, let me know how you got on in the comments below. Here comes my wash-up:
ACROSS. 1A. Anag. LAD after ["succeeding"] odd letters of "sick" = SC.5A. Cryptic def.6A. Reversal of: NO given literally + "entry" = IN + love = O.9A. anag. FINE after first letter of "kooks".
DOWN. 1D8A. ordinary = STOCK + d6? = CUBE. This may be UK-centric?2D. "digital brains" = AI surrounding "freedom" = LIB.3D. hidden reversed in "hydroelectric".4D. European = DANE surrounding first letter of "careful".7D. homophone of "not a soul" = NONE.
I'd finished cluing everything when I learned "bouillon cube" was the stateside equivalent. Usually I aim to be transatlantic, but on this occasion I slipped up.
A d6 is just a regular six-sided die, as it's known to role-playing enthusiasts.