Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-The Roleplay

We started flying slowly around the field. I felt like a turtle. Professor made a diagram out of clouds, which just seemed to confuse some people even more. I sat on my broom, fighting the urge to break out of this slow pace and fly away somewhere. I sighed loudly and sat on my broom, wishing this would end.

"Yes Raban, that is what we will do. First we would like to do this though as a test. There are some people who can fly but will have trouble with a formation and some who are not good at either. This is a test run. The Quidditch members are getting names down at this moment. Later they will train those members based on their notes. Hopefully we can have this done by the time the festival starts. Thank you for the suggestion though, I will let the Quidditch players know so they can do that during their training session." said Professor Baudelaire.

She looked out at the field of slow flying students, it was much better considering none of them were bumping into each other but their was still trouble at the corners and they would be flying much, much higher than this when they flew in...

My broom had moved with everyone elses. This was going to be a long day. It felt like I couldn't move my self with that broom charmed. I want Quiditch Practice to be here soon.

Raban sighed in annoyance. He wished Madam Hooch were in charge of the lesson; she had more talent for asessing a student's skill level, and wouldn't keep everyone going at a snail's pace. For that, he wouldn't bother pointing out she'd spelled 'Hogwarts' wrong on her diagram. Or point out that this was supposed to be a Quidditch practice; that would only complicate things further for those who were still learning to fly. That's why he'd suggested they asess the individual skill level rather than just have the problems reported; there was a difference between not having obvious problems and being fully trained with a broom.

Honestly, he'd moved faster through the air at the age of seven, when his parents agreed to get him a toy broom that moved at 10 mph. Safer than an adult broom, but fast enough to feel the wind in his hair.

Actually, this reminded him of a kiddie ride he'd been on when he was six, at a Walpurgis carnival. Everyone kept on toy brooms moving at the same speed and same height, moving in a slow circle, outpaced by the children running around on the ground . . . actually, scratch the last. Everyone was on their brooms; no one running around to demonstrate just how slow they were going.

He glanced behind him, ensuring that the trail of sparks he left fell far short of the first-years following. Brigit still hadn't managed to get much length on her spark trail, a benefit in this case. Since they'd be working together, it would be a good idea to make friends. He made a mental note to ask her if she'd like to research the International Quidditch Festival with him later.

Professor Baudelaire saw little success in the practice so she decided to end it. She called over all the Quidditch players and told them that in the other practice, they would be dividing all the students who needed help by rank, thanks to an idea given to her by Raban. Then they would train the students who needed help more often and those who needed less help just a couple of times. She left the dividing up to them and they were to do it three times in the next week, whatever days they preferred. She hoped they would be responsible and she told them there would always be a teacher supervising the practices.

Professor Baudelaire felt tired as she flew over the field watching the students disarrange themselves as they headed in different directions.

We were finally off the brooms ( I never thoguht I wuld ever say that), but now we had to sort the next class into the level that they fly. Great. As the next group walked in I examined the students. " Hey, Astrid. How are we going to do this?" I said.

Professor Baudelaire walked up to the castle along with other fellow teachers. She heard a few negative comments from them. Of course, who wouldn't feel that way? They were trying to control 280 flying kids. Many who didn't know how to fly, and many who did but just flew way too fast. As she neared the exit of the pitch she noticed Ronnie nears the stands with the bucket and sponge in her hand. "You are done now Ronnie, please take care to follow the rules next time or this may be repeated or there will be worse consequences."

Once he was back on the ground, Raban stretched his legs and did a diagnostic charm on his broom; it looked like no harm was done, now that the spell had been lifted.

He then walked over to the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, where the other Ravenclaws were lining up. She ran them each through a quick asessment test -- getting up in the air and flying through a basic obstacle course one at a time -- and Raban was placed in the second-highest group. He knew he'd have ranked lower if quidditch skills were tested, but for now they seemed to just be working off of basic flight skills.

Raban felt confident that, with a bit more practice and some focus, he'd be progressing to the top group in no time.

OOC : Are there any other qudditch players on Gryffindor? Cause I'm planning it out, if you don't mind. :S And I've made five basic groups, if that's okay. Like 5 levels? Oh, and sorry it's so long, it's mostly dialogue, and it's like all practice and explaining it and stuff. Hope you don't mind :S

BIC : Practice finally ended, and introduced to idea of separating by flying levels, suggested by Raban. Smart kid. I flew down, and grabbed my room. I headed towards the other quidditch players, as the people who we had listed came up to us, along with some others. Ivy asked me how we planned on doing this. I told her, " You should join the other Slytherin quidditch players, they probably have it planned out. We are first going to separate our groups according to our notes, and then test their flying skills and organize them into proper groups. Then probably start 'em off with the basics and hope they at least are confident on a broom, " I explained to her.

I waved to her and left her, and walked to join the other Gryffindor quidditch players again. We compared our lists and notes, and organized them into five basic groups. We then made them fly through obstacle courses, noting down their names and groups. I just hoped everyone who needed had shown up at their houses today. Or else they were going to be humiliated tomorrow.

We then grouped them into the best fit groups. We seemed to have it narrowed down. We then broke up into different groups. For the lowest and second-lowest, we had two quidditch players, and one for each of the other ones. I was in charge of the best group. My teammates knew my short-temper, and didn't want to take any chances. I had about 15-20 people in my group.

"Okay, kiddies. I'm Astrid, and I'll be helping you with your flying problems. Now, I want everyone to listen up. Look, we helping you learn flying is taking our time, and yours. So put it to best use. This doesn't benefit us in anyway, just creates more work. And I'm pretty sure we won't hesitate to kick someone out of this practice. Get it? So behave, and listen. I'm not gunna repeat myself. I don't want any fighting, lollygagging, our jinxing or other spell casting. Now, is anyone here doing banners or sparks or anything else like that? " I announced. No one raised their hands, " Good. This group should know mounting and have an idea on how to fly or rise up in the air. If anyone does not know those things, tell me your name and head over there," I said, pointing to the second-best group. No one budged.

"Okay, mount your brooms, " I said. Everyone got on their brooms. After making sure everyone was pretty much spaced out and were sitting correctly, I told them to rise up 5 feet. They did so. Some were kinda shaky. " Okay guys, I see your kinda shaky. Look, I want you to relax. Keep your balance. Concentrate on the sky. Make sure your sitting evenly. Don't lean on any side. Relax. You won't fall off. And I'm here to help you. Now I want you to relax your muscles and sit on the center of your broom, remember, don't lean to the side, " I told them. I sat on my broom and rose above them, demonstrating. Some of them improved, but some of them were still shaky. I head towards them and helped them out.

When I was done, they looked pretty good. No one was shaky, and they looked like the confident students of Hogwarts they were. "Now, rise 10 feet higher. You should be at 15 feet," I told them. They rose with ease. Atleast they had that handled. They got to 15 feet, and were still looking good. Everyone was doing good. "Great job guys, you look like you've been doing this for years," I praised them, "Okay, let's try moving. Now, I want you guys to lean forward an inch, and move straight. Don't lean too much, or too less. Only move after the person in front of you has. Now, lets try this. Move slowly, and follow my pace," I told them. I moved slowly forward, and they moved after me at the same pace. They were doing good. I slowly led them in an oval. Things were going great.

OOC: Yeah, I basically left it so you guys could do your own planning, and monitoring, since I think you would like to have your turn now I'm going to go back to classes and then we will have another practice on Tuesday, Howgarts time.

BIC:
Professor Baudelaire trudged up the steps to the door. It was wide open, welcoming all the students and teachers into safety and comfort. As she headed up the grand staircase she saw the Hufflepuffs heading towards the kitchens, the Slytherins going down some hallways and Ravenclaws and Gryffindors making it up the staircase too. Professor Baudelaire went up to the third floor, that was where her office was, and just two doors down from that was her room. She thought the door separating her room and office was a broom closet but she had never checked. She opened her door with a tap of her wand and went in and closed the door. She leaned against it and viewed her room. The houselves must have been in here, she had fresh flowers and she could smell clean sheets from where she was. She walked over to her bed and fell onto it. She decided she had time to rest, her next class wasn't until Monday so she could make her lesson plan the next day when she woke up. She fell into a deep sleep without removing her robes because she was that tired.

The mop, broom, and bucket were waiting for me at the stands. Just great I thought. The stands were disgusting full of gum, black ash(who knows where its from), and bunch of trash...Don't people know how to clean up after themselves?

I started to scrub.. The black ash didn't come off! I scrubbed it really hard again and it still didn't scrubbed off. I gave up on the spot and cleaned the section of the stands..

After an hour, I was tired.. My arms were sore and my belly roared. My legs ached and my back cracked from getting off my knees. The mops was a grayish black and the broom broke.. It broke when I tried to make dust go away.. Turns out it wasn't dust.. The towel was full of dirt and I was disgusted. My body was spotted with marks of dirts, you could tell far away..

I walked from the stand and stepped into mud..I was so angered and frustrated, today was just not my day. I swear.. If something else goes wrong I'll scream! I saw the remaining students being guided by Astrid.. I should be a role model just like Astrid I thought.... The thought floated through my brain and I walked toward the hall way.. I remembered I had to get my broomstick and wand from the professor.. ARGH.

I walked to the field to find Professor Blaudaire to get my things.. And she wasn't there.. Where was she?

Professor Baudelaire had a strange dream while she was sleeping in her room. It was a hippogriff but it had Headmistress McGonagall's head, and it was reading a Christmas wish list! Then Professor McGonagall had a Santa suit and was guiding a sleigh with thestrals instead of reindeer. She snored quietly as she dreamed this, watching goblins reloading Santa McGonagall's sleigh with tons of gifts.

After we had made 3 rounds, I told them to stop, " Okay guys, stop now. We know this isn't the pace or height we will be going at at the parade. So let's try 50 feet. If your unsure, just raise your hand," no one raised their hands, " Great. Now, everyone, rise up to here, " I rose up 35 more feet and they rose up after me. They looked great. Rising was one thing they had completely covered, " Good job guys. Lets try moving faster. Follow my pace, " I said, flying a little bit faster. We had gone from being snails to kangaroos. They seemed to follow okay, no one was going sideways or anything, and they seemed to have it covered. I made them follow me in a zig zag and circles, and tested out their skills. Now I saw why they were in the best group.

I almost fell off my broom when I heard a girl scream behind me. I turned abruptly, and saw the girl. I flew towards her. " Why did you scream? " I asked.

" She almost hit me, " she said, pointing to the girl next to her. She was the girl who stood behind me while practicing. She was smirking, smug somehow. I glared at her.

" Do we have to do this again? Didn't I already explain things to you? Do you have some habit of bumping into people next to you? Some obsession with the people who come near you? If you do, then I can put you in a corner, and you can fly alone, " I said to her. Some kids giggled. She just smirked. " Look, kid. I'm not having fun doing this, and I'm not getting paid either. I'm tired, and I just wanna get this over with because we've been given the responsibility of taking care of your flying skills. Now, either you behave, or you can leave, " I said to her. She flew away, enraged. I shrugged and flew back in front. Maybe these kids could go faster?

I went and spaced them out a little more, so there was no way they could bump into each other. Then, I told them to follow me. I flew at the speed of a zebra, not really fast, but not really slow either. They followed me. Some had problems keeping up, but they quickly got over it. We flew in huge ovals and flew upwards and downwards, flying through the sky. I commanded them to stop, and we slowed down and I turned back. Some kids looked disheveled, others looked thrilled. They were pretty much in the same spot I had put them in in the first place.

I decided to let them go. I flew to the ground and got off my broom, telling them to do the same. They seemed to know most of it, gotten rising and standing, along with some speed. They had done fairly well on turns, so I knew they were good with that. The sun was starting to set and I knew dinner might be served in an hour or two. There wasn't really anything else to teach them. " Okay guys, you can leave now. I've taught you everything you need to know. If you want to still practice, or are unsure about something, you can stay here with me. Otherwise, it's fine. Your free to go, " I said. Most of them left, but 4 stayed back. They walked up to me.

"Hey, Astrid. Can you just do a few more drills with us? Were still kinda unsure," they asked. I told them to mount their brooms, and mounted on mine, and flew up about 60 feet. They came behind me.

"What are you guys unsure about?" I asked.

"Rising. And standing, we can't really get balanced completely," they said. I made them stand in a line, and made them rise at about 100 feet.

"You guys are fine about rising. Just make sure to rise straight, your kinda tilting. Which is what throws you off. Look directly up and rise," I told them. We practiced some rising and dropping, and perfected balancing. They left after their doubts were cleared. I asked any of my other team members if they needed any help, but they had it covered. They were about to finish too. I headed towards my dorm.

My bed looked so inviting, but I knew if I got in I wouldn't get out till morning. My stomach rumbled. I took a long shower and changed, and headed down for dinner.

Ok, I said as I walked towards the Slytherins. They all gave me smirks as I walked in the front. " Ok guys so lets fly and I will sort you into groups, follow me." The Slytherin boy ( the one who caused me so much pain last practice) mumbled something under his breath. I couldn't quite make out what he said but I payed no attention to it. As I flew up in the air a spark from his wand hit my broom and it went out of control. I was only 5 ft from the ground so I jumped off. " Who did that!!" I yelled. I pointed him out and said, " Whats your name?" " Lucas" he replied. " Well, you can go sit in the stands for the rest of practice." I said. " Anyone else?" I yelled. I sorted them into groups and said, " Ok so the least experienced to the most, got it?" I said, but they all just talked interupting me. I glanced at the clock and said, " Ok, we will fly in these groups next time." I walked to my dormantry and flomped into my bed. Exausted.

Ok, I said as I walked towards the Slytherins. They all gave me smirks as I walked in the front. " Ok guys so lets fly and I will sort you into groups, follow me." The Slytherin boy ( the one who caused me so much pain last practice) mumbled something under his breath. I couldn't quite make out what he said but I payed no attention to it. As I flew up in the air a spark from his wand hit my broom and it went out of control. I was only 5 ft from the ground so I jumped off. " Who did that!!" I yelled. I pointed him out and said, " Whats your name?" " Lucas" he replied. " Well, you can go sit in the stands for the rest of practice." I said. " Anyone else?" I yelled. I sorted them into groups and said, " Ok so the least experienced to the most, got it?" I said, but they all just talked interupting me. I glanced at the clock and said, " Ok, we will fly in these groups next time." I walked to my dormantry and flomped into my bed. Exausted.

It was getting close to dinner when Raban finally left the Ravenclaw practice. Though he was hungry enough to consider just going straight to the Great Hall, after the intensive practice he felt that a hot shower and change of clothing was in order. He relaxed under the spray of water, and once he was clean and dressed he felt much better. He scooped up a purring Sam on his way out and reached the Great Hall just as dinner was served.

He helped himself to a generous serving of Shepherd's Pie and a glass of ice-cold pumpkin juice. He'd certainly built up an appetite, and despite eating more than usual he still had room for a piece of chocolate trifle.

Feeling more awake with a full belly, he took his time walking back to Ravenclaw tower; he recalled there was still an assignment to finish before the weekend was over. Maybe he'd get a start on it in the common room tonight.

Professor Baudelaire's stomach awoke her in the middle of the night with a loud grumbling. She realized she was starving. With bleary eyes she checked the watch on her wrist, it was 4:00. She looked at the window, it had to be 4:00 in the morning because it was pitch black outside.

She yawned as sat-up. She stretched her arms and looked at the mirror which was right in front of her bed. Her hair was disheveled and her robed were all crumpled. This is what she got for going to bed without undressing or any preparation she thought. She pulled her hair back into a bun and pulled her robes off. She changed into her nightgown and then put on a long sleep robe. As she tied it around her waist she put on her slippers. Then she yawned again. She had to get some food or she wouldn't be able to sleep.

She walked out her room and through the corridors. No one was outside which was good, students shouldn't be out of bed and the Professors had to get their rest. As she was walking down the grand staircase she saw Mrs. Norris's shadow disappear into a hallway. She neared the fruit painting, the entrance to the kitchen and tickled the pair. She had never visited the kitchen before but she had been given instructions by Headmistress McGonagall.

As the door swung open she smelled dozens of delicious odors. There were hundreds of house-elves running from one place to the other with pots, pans, trays, and all kinds of utensils. They seemed to be preparing for breakfast because she could smell bread being baked and sausages being fried. It rushed at her all at once and her stomach made a loud grumble. That was when the house-elves noticed her.

They all made a rush at her and asked her if she wanted dozens of thing, milk, hot chocolate, some warm honey water, pumpkin juice, biscuits, tarts, pasties...so many things! She even heard one of them say stuffed turkey! It was unbelievable how many things they could offer, all from one kitchen. She asked them politely if she could have some warm milk and a tray of chocolate-chip cookies and brownies. She wanted something filling and sweet. They asked her if she would like the food in her room and she told them she would like to eat there if that was ok. Immediately five house-elves rushed over, carrying a small table, another two carrying a chair, and and eight carrying a table-mat.

Once everything was set up and she was seated three house-elves brought her her tray. There was her warm milk in a large cup and a jug with more in-case she wanted a refill. And on the side there was a mound of different variations of chocolate-chip cookies and brownies, there were some with walnuts, some with peanut-butter, some that smelled like coffee, and some covered with fudge. She ate hungrily trying all the different types of pastries they had brought her. She gulped her milk down thirstily. The house-elves brought her another tray when they realized she had finished everything. She was surprised that she was still hungry. She guessed missing dinner had been a mistake. Once she had finished her second tray and all the milk, which was a lot of food and drink she thanked all the house-elves millions and then proceeded to exit. One of the house-elves asked her if she wanted to take another tray of food to her room but she said she was full and thanked them again.

As she walked back up the staircase and to her room she started to get sleepy again. She plopped onto her bed once again and fell into a dreamless sleep.

When I didn't see the professor, I headed back to my room. It was getting dark and my body ached. My bed was freezing from the windows being opened and I warmed up my bed as I fell asleep...I awoke again.. I kept thinking about my broom and wand. How powerless I was without it.. How vulnerable I felt. I ignored the feeling, it was silly of me to think of that. I fell back asleep with no thoughts fluttering in my head.

I woke to a clud and looked around... Someone dropped their bezoar for their class. It rolled towards my bed and everyone seemed to have woken up and gone for breakfast. I should be heading for class too, I thought and got dressed. With my hogwarts uniform and books I took a shortcut to the great hall.

I was thinking. I was really tired of flying and being told what to do by a professor. I heard stories of my parents saying there was plenty of troublemakers at hogwarts, though my mother wasn't one. Or my father in school. I thought to myself, I need a place where I can practice qudditch. It was at that moment a wall became a door and I peeked around to see if anyone was looking.. and then went inside..

Character Application Form
Name: Adriana Anderson
Position: Quidditch Player/Seeker
House: Gryffindor
Gender: Female
Age: 15, birthday on February 14th
Appearance: Long, almost waist length light brown hair with hard to see blond highlights, sparkling green eyes, pale white skin. Is average weight and height for age. Rosy cheeks, has a special necklace given by her great great great great great great grandmother (it’s gold with bright ruby red jewels)
Personality: She is sweet, and kind, and likes to explore things. She’s very interested in being a wizard, since she is a pure blood (but doesn’t brag about being so). She likes to learn things about people and study them as well as she can. She is a very fast broom rider which makes her a good Seeker. She has many friends all around the school. She makes sure she has perfect grades and high scores on everything she does. She tries to be as honest as she can, and doesn’t like to get in trouble.
Other: Wants to win House Cup for Gryffindor some year. Whenever she can’t think straight or is nervous about something, she’ll get on her broom, which usually cheers her up as she flies through the air.

I got to the Great Hall, and sat along with some Quidditch friends. We discussed the practice and how we had taught some people. Some kids who I had taught today waved at me, and a smiled back. I scarfed down loads of turkey and had a ton of pumpkin juice. My stomach was full when I was finished, and I had no room for dessert. I said goodbye to my friends and went up to bed. I was exhausted.

I changed to my pyjamas and got into bed, turning off the lights. I decided to write a letter to my parents in the morning, to tell them I was okay. I fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up refreshed. I woke up a bit too early, because of going to bed before anyone else. Everyone was sleeping when I was up. I decided to head into the shower. I took a long shower, and changed into my Hogwarts uniform. I started on my letter to my parents.

Dear Mom and Dad,

How are you guys? I'm alright here. Were getting ready for a Hogwart's parade. It's been pretty much of a mess at the moment, but we are improving. Professor Baudelaire is in charge, she's new. And don't worry, I have it with me. The secret will never be lost.

Take care.
Love,
Astrid.

I put it in an envelope and sent it off.

"This is so boring," I thought, "Just sitting here, going less than like 5 miles an hour" i was on my broom stick. the rest of hogwarts and i were still on the Quidditch field. practicing and practicing . it was sunny, so it wasn't that bad. then the sun went down in the blink of an eye. i started shivering in the cold. clouds rolled in and rain fell from the sky. I looked at the people next to me. and then turned back. i did a double take. the people on the brooms we're people at all, they were human size owls. "Whoa... this is weird" i though. i kept flying all the other brooms stopped but i couldn't. i kept flying and flying and flying, i went faster and faster and faster. i blinked and only a few feet in front of me was the walls of Azkaban. I couldn't stop. i clenched my eyes closed, i was going to crash...

i opened my eyes. i was lying in my four poster bed in Ravenclaw tower. I took a deep breath as a sign of relief. my heart was racing and i was all sweaty. i thought about this afternoon. it was pretty boring. we sat on our brooms at a snail's pace. but i didn't complain, it was better than sitting in the hospital wing or cleaning bleachers. i wondered why i had a nightmare. i didn't eat too much before bed, i dont even remember eating anything before falling asleep while trying to remember what i was to do for the parade thing. my stomach growled. i snuck the last caldron cake from my trunk and ate it. i felt my eyelids get heavy. i closed my eyes and went back to sleep . hoping that i would sleep until tomorrow, hoping tomorrow would be a good day, or at least, not as boring as today...

Morning came, and Raban woke easily. A day of exercise and a solid meal afforded him a sound night's rest. He prepared himself for the day, then headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Giving Sam a piece of a kipper before starting on his porridge, he pondered what he'd do for the day. His homework was finished, and he hadn't heard anyone planning further practices. Maybe a day in the library . . . he'd told Brigit he'd track down Simple Spells Every Ravenclaw Should Know for her, after all.

I headed towards the Great Hall to have some breakfast. I wasn't really hungry, since I had eaten a heavy dinner. I had a muffin and a boiled egg, then got up and went to my room. I had no idea what to do. Were there classes? I decided to head to potions and ask Professor what her plans were.

[OOC: It's Sunday, by the schedule we're following, so no regular classes -- but possibly another practice.]

~Rain~ wrote:Character Application Form
Name: Adriana Anderson
Position: Quidditch Player/Seeker
House: Gryffindor
Gender: Female
Age: 15, birthday on February 14th
Appearance: Long, almost waist length light brown hair with hard to see blond highlights, sparkling green eyes, pale white skin. Is average weight and height for age. Rosy cheeks, has a special necklace given by her great great great great great great grandmother (it’s gold with bright ruby red jewels)
Personality: She is sweet, and kind, and likes to explore things. She’s very interested in being a wizard, since she is a pure blood (but doesn’t brag about being so). She likes to learn things about people and study them as well as she can. She is a very fast broom rider which makes her a good Seeker. She has many friends all around the school. She makes sure she has perfect grades and high scores on everything she does. She tries to be as honest as she can, and doesn’t like to get in trouble.
Other: Wants to win House Cup for Gryffindor some year. Whenever she can’t think straight or is nervous about something, she’ll get on her broom, which usually cheers her up as she flies through the air.

Accepted I'm going to catch you up on what's going on.
The only class that you can attend is Potions because I am the only teacher here, we need more teachers to join lol. Anyway, you can talk about other classes and hw for other classes just not be in them. Right now everyone is going to schoolwide quidditch practices and everyone hates them because they are tedious and pretty unorganized lol. The practice is so everyone can fly into the International Quidditch Festival which is taking place at Hogwarts. If you have any questions just ask here and I am sure any of the members would be happy to respond.





BIC: Professor Baudelaire's eyes opened slowly. She had had a wonderful nights sleep, and snack she thought. She felt great for the first time in days. Those brownies must have had something...she thought. She got up and took a cold shower. She dressed in some pretty powder blue robes she rarely wore and tied her hair up with a white ribbon. She put her chap-stick on because her lips always cracked if she didn't and walked out her room. She walked swiftly to the Great Hall feeling very happy. She sat down next to Hagrid who was eating some pumpkin pasties. "Hallo Hagrid," she greeted him. She received a muffled response as she looked at the food. She got a bowl of strawberry yogurt and as she started to scoop some with her spoon she noticed a brownie and chocolate chip cookie appear on a small plate in front of her. She smiled as she put the spoon in her mouth, the house-elves realized she had loved the baking!