#or possibly a Very Specific Taste In Kin Crushes

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

Characters I kin despite having little-to-no knowledge of them/knowing the folklore history etc that theyre based off of but nothing about their fandom canon:

Danny Phantom (i somehow instinctually know wayyyy too much abt how ghosts work in that canon for someone who. has seen maybe 5 minutes of an episode once) 

James Kirk from Star Trek

Firestar WarriorCats (i read the first two series and stopped not even halfway through Power Of Three, i was 9 years old, i don’t know what firestar’s been doing in the 80whatever books since or why im kinning him now, i didnt kin him or even like him when i was 9) 

Scourge Warriorcats (see above)

Jack Sparrow (ik like. a tiny bit of historical context. im not even in the OFMD fandom)

Geralt Of Rivia (Ik just enough abt this series to know that im so much more like Jaskier. and yet.)

Loki from the MCU (i know so much abt norse mythology. myth Loki fascinates me. i have no idea what the MCU is doing but i dont like it and i kin anyway)

Dipper Pines (yeah ive seen a good few clips but lbr i do NOT know)

L Whoever From Death Note Or Some Shit

That Metalhead Guy From Stranger Things Whose Name I Keep Forgetting. Loud Pretty.

David Bowie in Labyrinth (i watched this movie once in like 3rd grade and promptly forgot abt it for YEARS)

Basil Of Baker Street. yes the cartoon mouse sherlock holmes.... i think I’d kin Sherlock but i hate beandick cucumbers soooo much lmaooooo (oh yeah, and ive never seen Basil Of Baker Street) 

the other guy in stranger things who is a little older and has a mullet (but i kin metalhead guy more)

Cordell’s brother from Walker Texas Ranger (i saw a one minute clip of him, and i can tell they tried to write a “leftist” and oh my god i just wanna kin him so bad so that i can make him Worse. blue hair and a homestuck rp blog and nightcore and setting his brother’s cop car on fire. i want him to be a shitty manic panic blur of incomprehensibility to everyone who writes, directs and acts that show. you want a leftist character? then COMMIT TO IT) 

At least two separate red-headed bishonen space pirate boys from 80s-90s anime who wear blue dusters. there are at least two. probably more. i cannot tell them apart and do not know anything about the things they are from. 

[edgyandoverzealous]

Characters from my hyperfixations past and present that remind me of my S/O

A fairly chaotic analysis(ish) if you will. Posting it because they said they wanted to read it and I am in fact, madly in love with them so, as they wish. Pt 1. Because they are constantly on my mind and I will inevitably see a character and go "it's them <33" in a loving tone again.

Rise!Donatello -rottmnt

This is obvious. Like to the point where I don't really have to explain it but I will.

First and foremost a mad scientist who appears to be both touch starved and touch adverse?

with good fashion?

and good music taste?

That's literally just my partner.

Donnie seems like the biggest chemistry man, I'm just saying.

Clever and witty?

An adorable sarcasm spouting chaotic good? Yes. Again it's literally just them.

Rise! Leonardo - rottmnt

Again obvious. Also with how hard they kin this turtle, obviously he reminds me of them.

Charming and use humor as a coping mechanism? Check.

And this may just be a headcannon on my part but I feel like Leonardo Hamato is really good at hiding he has a crush on someone/dropping hints. My partner was so good at hiding their crush on me there was a point in time I thought they didn't like me at all and liked someone else entirely. I also missed all the hints given to me. They also dropped a lot of hints and once even asked me out jokingly while we were mutually pining after each other by asking if the next hangout would be a date and I thought about replying with "it can be whatever you want it to be" but was scared of misreading the situation and changed the subject to a random item on the shelf. I'm incredibly emotionally dense.

A good leader too. They legitimately always seem like they know what to do which is great considering I never know what's going on.

Also they are so creative in their plans. We once had a date where we got blankets and squishmellos before cuddling. It was awesome!

Funny and witty too? I can't possibly ask for anything else.

Will Solace - Pjo

Ah yes. A doctor. What are doctors good at? Exactly, science. You know what this doctor in particular can also do? Sing and play guitar. You know who else does that? Yeah, my point exactly.

Good at identifying tells and keeping a straight face.

Also really good at de-escalating anxiety, which we all know Nico has to have at this point and Will knows how to help. The way this applies to my partner happens a lot when we're holding hands. For example, we had an assembly and we're holding hands. For reference I don't do well in those situations anxiety wise as a general rule of thumb. They started to squeeze my hand in sets of three which I mimicked it was quite grounding.

Also they're so accepting. They liked me before I came out as a Trans according to the two year timeframe they've given me and they still liked me after?? I also told them I was feeling dysphoric and they said something along the lines of "why? You're literally a man." That kept me going for a month. I still remember it randomly and end up smiling like a doofus for the next hour or so.

Entrapta - Shera PoP

Another mad scientist. I'm detecting a theme. She likes small things and I am small actually 5'2 at my age, in this economy awful therefore my partner likes small things. Flawless logic I know. *multiple tiny bows*

Otherwise similarly to Donnie, Entrapta is very smart. But Entrapta is also not so smart sometimes. Specifically, in social cues. For example a way this relates to my partner is knowing when a vague(ish) comment is about them. I once told them someone I liked told me I was attractive in makeup, it was them, literally the night before. They went "oh." Looking quite confused and a little concerned. I told them they were the said person in response.

Cute mannerisms. For example talking with their hands. Adorable.

Entrapta is really into space and science, you know who else is into space and science? The love of my life, correct.

Entrapta has pretty hair. Without even trying. YOU KNOW WHO ELSE HAS PRETTY HAIR WITHOUT HAVING TO TRY? Exactly.

You know that cute face Entrapta has when she gets to talk about her inventions and sciences? Have you ever seen that on a real person? I have. Yes it is as adorable as you would think. Yes it is also a reason why I hype up all of their ideas and hyperfixations. No I won't stop actually.

Double Trouble- Shera Pop

Okay hear me out. Hear me out.

They're both hot actors.

They both can sing as well. The full package I literally am so lucky.

Also Double Trouble is tall and attractive. You know who else is tall and attractive? Yeah. Exactly.

Street smarts, they both got 'em. I don't know how to handle a strange man with a cardboard sign preaching to me while walking to a maverick, but they do and I think that's amazing.

Also that sarcasm/lying, like during game night when they were bluffing or covering for my very poor bluffing. I can't lie for shit. Something to see honestly. Their tone during is so endearing and attractive?? I don't think you understand. I can't comprehend how someone can sound so charming while dishing out lies and sarcasm. It legit had me swooning. If they were cast as a villain in anything I think I'd explode actually.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Ximtal

CR 17

Neutral Evil Large Outsider

Bestiary 6, pg. 244~245 (Image taken from Adventure Path: Tyrant’s Grasp: Borne by the Sun’s Grace, pg. 36)

I, personally, think it’s kind of funny that these creatures get to be designated “Large” just because of their enormous hind-ends, but the Ximtal are anything but funny themselves. It’s going to get very heavy for a moment, so if the current worldly situation is not something you wish to think about, skip the rest of this paragraph and I’ll get to the crunch immediately after. Representing the fear of isolation and not belonging, Ximtal go above and beyond their kin, affecting entire societies at once rather than picking on singular victims, manipulating the upper echelons of a given settlement with promises of power and gifts of magic to cause as much damage as possible. It is their goal to cause fanaticism, widespread abuse, and crushing dogmas which silence the meek and sensitive and give voice to the mad and aggressive, as well as to twist all messages and hopes for positivity or a better future into hopeless fear that nothing will ever change... all because people who are divided and lonely are that much easier to pick off, both for the Ximtal and any other Sahkil and daemons that live in their shadow.

hwoof. alright, onto how to fight them!

The good news is that, much like such terrors in real life, Ximtal can be beat if enough people band together and take up arms. However, it’s not easy; rooting out the deep, clinging corruption the Ximtal represent and foster never is. Just knowing one’s around pulling the strings is hard to spot! They work subtly more often than not, their 3/day Suggestion bending the wills of potential minions when their words and promises don’t, and just their presence alone worsens things in a subtle but painful way. Every drug, poison, and disease within 1000ft of a Ximtal is enhanced by their Despoil, their DC raising by 2, so all that one of these wretched rat-crabs needs to do is find a good spot to park and sit down for a while to just let its aura work, or collapse into a Misama and drift through the streets or across the sky as a greasy black smoke cloud (though if anyone ventures inside the cloud, the illusion of harmlessness is broken as they take 4d6 damage). On the occasion they lose patience and wish to accelerate a specific victim’s spiral, a single bite (2d8+14 damage, but this can easily be made nonlethal) transfers one of the cruelest diseases in Paizo’s catalogue: Forsaken Agony.

Any creature afflicted by Forsaken Agony becomes pale, distracted, and their senses are, one by one, taken from them. Each day the victim fails their Fortitude save (DC 29, NOT including the Despoil effect, which raises it to 31 if the Ximtal is lurking relatively nearby) they not only take 1d6 Wisdom drain, but roll another d6 to see which sense they lose: 1 for taste, 2 for smell, 3 for touch, 4 for hearing, 5 for sight... and 6 for all of them at once, locking the victim in a numb, dark, silent world. Once a victim has lost all six senses, the “agony” part of Forsaken Agony kicks in, wracking the victim with ennui and sensations of helpless isolation so painful that they take 1d4 Constitution drain as well.

Forsaken Agony can be cured like any disease, but simply touching an infected victim also exposes one to being infected as well on a failed DC 25 Fortitude save (27 if the Ximtal is nearby). Thankfully, due to a unique quirk with how the supernatural disease works, it can only spread if the infected victim is alone with the other person... Or, rather, if the infectee can’t see anyone but the other person. “Forsaken Agony is not contagious when the sufferer can see two or more creatures,” is what the book says, but you’ll notice that a result of 5 or 6 robs the victim of their sight so they cannot see ANY creature, which as-written means a blind victim (or one rendered catatonic by the Wisdom drain) is always contagious. And, of course, Cure Disease is a touch spell... It can be very, very difficult to cure a city of an agonized plague without a plot intervention.

Killing the creature starting the infection in the first place is a good first step, though they won’t go down easy. They possess DR 15/Good and, more annoyingly, the ability to fly, which I feel just kind of makes them look ridiculous. Like giant rat-crabs scuttling through the air at 60ft a round. The two giant sticky hands at the ends of their bodies can extend outwards to slap creatures up to 15ft away, dealing a substantial 3d8+14 damage and Grabbing whatever they hit. The long, clawed fingers they possess can grievously constrict any creature that can’t break their grip for an additional 3d8+14 damage each round. Already a formidable Full-Attack, but note that you’re likely going to be dealing with it on your own.

They have Maze at 1/day to instantly shunt a member of the party into a personalized labyrinth for upwards to 10 minutes without allotting a save, often imprisoning the least Intelligent party member they can to assure the spell sticks for its full duration. They also have Horrid Wilting at 1/day to suck an enormous amount of health from the party before they even realize the Sahkil is upon them, but without a doubt one of its most cruel tricks is to split the party on the first round. With Skip Between it can sneak up on the party and place itself gingerly between all of them before fading back into reality, at which point it can blast all of them with Isolation. This wave of supernatural loneliness can target up to four creatures adjacent to the Ximtal once a day, and failing a DC 25 Will save means you can no longer see, hear, or interact with your allies, nor can they see, hear, or interact with you, all of you treating one another as though you were invisible, silenced, and intangible.

Once Isolated, dealing with the Ximtal becomes all the much harder. Without the power to deliver touch spells or buffs to one another or even coordinate in the slightest (anyone who succeeds the save against being isolated still cannot see or interact with anyone who failed! and you might just get shoved in the Maze anyway), there’s nothing stopping the Ximtal from weaving lies about how it disintegrated or teleported the others away, and how now this “brave hero” must face it “all alone...” That being said, it can absolutely still be attacked by every isolated creature at once, since Isolation doesn’t stop enemies from seeing and interacting with one another, so the illusion of a party being divided is kind of shaken when the Barbarian’s axe wounds keep mysteriously appearing on the creature’s hide, or the Sorcerer’s Maximized Fireball explodes outwards from the Ximtal’s space--wait oh no

You can read more about them here.

[coetuselementorum]

ɴᴀᴍᴇ: Jayden Starcaller. Once went with the surname DeAmore but changed it to protect his blood relative from any mishaps he may cause.

ᴀʟɪᴀs (ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇs): Jay, Astral Wolf, Star Pup, “the cute one with the muffins”

Sex: Male

ᴀɢᴇ: Difficult to determine, thanks to his biology and method of running around the multiverse. Seems to be somewhere in the equivalent of the mid-twenties.

ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏғ ʙɪʀᴛʜ: “The moment of a New Year”

sᴘᴏᴋᴇɴ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇs: English, Draconic, Celestial, bits and bobs of others.

ᴏᴄᴄᴜᴘᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: Multiverse Traveler

ᴄʀɪᴍɪɴᴀʟ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅ: Not that he’s aware of. While there may have been people against him in his travels and he may have dipped into other people’s plots more than he should, He is not personally aware of any warrents out for him. Even if he had them, those worlds are so far behind him he won’t be found.

ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀs: Quite possibly on the Autism Spectrum (In no small part due to his Mun being on there)

ᴇʏᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ:  Starry Night Sky. Appears to lack any pupils.

ʜᴀɪʀ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ: Green-Teal at the moment.

Fur Color: Contains whites, purples, and a more balanced shade of teal than his hair.

ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ:   6'2" 

sᴄᴀʀs: Not a one. Though he is covered in marks best described as constellations. The most prominent being one that goes from his right cheek to above his left brow in a continuous diagonal pattern. Others seem to fade in and out depending on power output.

ʙᴜʀɴs: No singed fur here.

ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: Nada. Despite his very dessert-heavy diet, Jayden somehow keeps his weight consistently in the healthy range. Perhaps due to his whole astral being thing.

ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: Nope. And he won’t let others have the issue if he can help it.

ʜᴀᴅ sᴇx: Correct, with (and as) males and females alike. No defined preference yet, just another thing he’s exploring.

ʜᴀᴅ sᴇx ɪɴ ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄ: Not something he’s going to explore anytime soon.

ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ: Not possible. Due to the way Jayden himself was “conceived”, even if he was female he can’t be bred, nor can he breed as a male. Something he is quietly thankful for, truth be told.

ᴋɪssᴇᴅ ᴀ ʙᴏʏ: Has. The first time was a bit more impulsive than others.

ᴋɪssᴇᴅ ᴀ ɢɪʀʟ: Yeppers.

ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏs: The constellation marks on his body -look- like tattoos, especially if he’s in his human form, but they are just as much part of his natural being as his tail or big ears.

ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢs: Nope. Not looking into it either.

sᴍᴏᴋᴇᴅ/ᴅʀᴀɴᴋ/ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴅʀᴜɢs:  Cannot stand the smell of smoke in this sense, and has not done drugs. He did however have a small stint as a barkeep and thus was pressured to taste the drinks to make sure they were good. He still doesn’t care for the ‘sting of alcohol’, but his magic touch still lets him make a good brew for those who ask nicely.

ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ: His heart has cracked several times as the nature of his adventures, but hasn’t broken in earnest yet...

ʙᴇᴇɴ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ: Love is a hard concept to grasp for someone who can theoretically live past infinity. He feels care for others and forges friendships, but love is. Hard.

ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ: Technically part of how he was born. But as long as he’s been alive there’s been no need to conduct such things on his person.

sᴛᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 24 ʜᴏᴜʀs: Jayden has stayed up not only 24 hours, but 24 days, and beyond. He doesn’t necessarily “need” sleep like many other creatures do, but will often put himself into a dreaming state to take a break from the reality he’s in. Especially if life is being difficult.

ᴀ ᴠɪʀɢɪɴ: That’d be a hard no.

ᴀ ᴄᴜᴅᴅʟᴇʀ: with certain individuals. The floof makes it extra comfortable for all involved.

ᴀ ᴋɪssᴇʀ: In moments of ‘heated passion’ he can end up doing this, but normal circumstances no.

sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴇᴀsɪʟʏ: keen superhuman senses prevent him from being frightened by normal things, and there’s only one deep fear he has. Granted, if thoughts on that fear latch too hard it can be mentally taxing for him...

ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜs ᴇᴀsɪʟʏ:No. If anything whenever he ends up in a situation most people would be jealous, Jayden either questions what it would take for him to get there himself, or be happy for the person.

ᴛʀᴜsᴛᴡᴏʀᴛʜʏ: To a fault. It’s gotten him in trouble several times where someone with a bigger mind for caution would have walked away or stood their ground, but he trusts everyone fairly equally unless specifically given a reason not to.

Sɪɴɢʟᴇ: Never outwardly speaks of being in a relationship of any kind, at least.

ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴇᴀɴ: quite the opposite. Though be warned, just because he’s nice does not mean he is without ‘mean things’. Such as snark on a soft level, and fury on a deeper one...

ʜᴀʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍsᴇʟᴠᴇs: Not Physically. Jayden can spiral into emotional or mental self harm depending on how his mind is spinning and his situation, but he’s never physically hurt himself on purpose.

ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏғ sᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇ: Not yet.

ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛᴇᴅ sᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇ: Hasn’t thought of it, so he hasn’t even thought of trying either.

ғᴇᴀʀs:  That moment where everything is gone, except him. Where the worlds he visited and the people that used to be there have rotted or been re-absorbed into space. Where entire universes either expand until they grow cold, or implode into a ball of fury and crush everything inside of them. Where speeches of armageddon and ragnarok and the end of all things ring out only for their end to silence the sounds. And Jayden is left in the Utterly EMPTY aftermath, alone. Forever.

ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛs: A mother by the name of Ami, who claims there was no father in the process. This is by technicality, true; Jayden is biologically fatherless. His conception came about from the use of a soul as the ah, ‘male substitute’, essentially recycling a fading life into her own kin.

CHILDREN: None. Can’t have them, doesn’t seem keen on wanting them.

PETS: He has a Mercury Djinn somewhere. But it seems to fade in and out of his life on a whim. It tends to stick around more after he’s “hung out” with certain individuals with a similar power flux around them, ie: rowan and felix and co. tagged by: @mowseries [[ Wow this is kinda late. and probably not done too hot so uh apologies for both things. XD But hey it’s done now~ and more insight into the space wolf, woo!!

[fitnesshealthyoga-blog]

New Post has been published on https://fitnesshealthyoga.com/maggi-seasoning-the-bright-yellow-package-is-what-so-many-global-cuisines-have-in-common/

Maggi seasoning: The bright yellow package is what so many global cuisines have in common

Say the word “Maggi,” and like Pavlov’s dogs my mouth starts watering for the brick of instant noodles wrapped in bright yellow plastic that my mom would keep on the hardest-to-reach shelves of our pantry. It was, and still is, impossible to resist the beloved noodles that cook in as little as 2 minutes. As India’s more heavily spiced answer to Top Ramen, Maggi delivers the same satisfying tangle of chewy noodles but swaps a milder seasoning packet for one with a lot more punch.

It was one of my favorite after-school snacks, something a distracted teenager could whip up while simultaneously texting friends about our crushes, watching MTV’s “Total Request Live” and supposedly doing calculus homework. To this day, it’s one of my favorite meals to eat when I’m under the weather. Some people crave chicken noodle soup, but I reach for the sinus-clearing and life-affirming package of masala Maggi. The instant noodles have become so entwined in the Indian mealtime lexicon, even after a five-month recall and lead crisis in 2015, they are used as the base for everything from omelets to pizza.

Say the word “Maggi” to Andrea Nguyen, and it elicits a similar, visceral, nostalgic response but for a completely different product. For Nguyen, a Vietnamese writer, cook and the author of “Vietnamese Food Any Day,” Maggi means a small, brown glass bottle with a square bottom and slender neck filled with an inky seasoning sauce. “It is transformative to many foods but is really part of the flavor profile of banh mi,” she notes. “You can’t quite get real banh mi without Maggi.” For Mexican American chef Wesley Avila in Los Angeles, Maggi also denotes a beloved seasoning sauce that gives stews and meat an extra oomph. But the version Avila loves is Jugo Maggi, more syrupy and milder than its Vietnamese counterpart.

[Cooking Vietnamese food in America used to require a trip to an Asian market. No more.]

For D.C.-based chef Kwame Onwuachi, Maggi was also a staple in his kitchen growing up when making Nigerian and Jamaican dishes. Except, if you say “Maggi” to Onwuachi, it means one thing only: foil-wrapped bouillon cubes that took such dishes as jollof rice and hearty soups to new, umami-packed heights. Shayma Saadat, a Pakistani Afghani cook and food writer who lives in Toronto, also has fond memories of the bouillon cubes she would pick up from South Asian grocery stores to give daals and yakhni, a deeply flavorful broth used to make rice dishes, a meaty infusion of flavor. But Maggi for Saadat also means tall glass bottles filled with a zippy chile garlic sauce. “I always keep a bottle in my fridge,” Saadat says.

(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Amanda Soto/The Washington Post)

Peek into homes and restaurants in China, Poland, the Philippines, France and Australia, and you’ll probably find Maggi products — most often a seasoning sauce, bouillon cube, noodle or soup mix — on one of the shelves. The seasoning sauce Maggi Würze, which is reminiscent of the flavor of lovage, has become so popular and beloved in Germany that Germans often colloquially referent to lovage as “maggikraut.” Like salt, fat, acid and heat, Maggi is one of the few great unifiers of the world’s kitchens and may be Switzerland’s largest and most influential culinary contribution.

[The future of American food is here, and it’s chicken tikka poutine and meatball dumplings]

In 1886, the Swiss government asked Julius Maggi, a miller, to create a food product that would be easy and quick to make but would be nutritious and affordable for the working-class population. Meat was expensive, and only the wealthy could afford to make it part of their regular diets. So Maggi created three instant soups — two made from peas and one made from beans. Shortly after, Maggi invented his namesake seasoning, a dark, concentrated sauce made from hydrolyzed vegetable protein. The result made soups, consommes and other foods taste meaty without animal protein. Maggi continued to innovate — at one point creating mock-turtle flavored soup and even a truffle-flavored Maggi seasoning sauce — and they became an instant success, spreading to Germany, France and Britain by 1888.

Thanks to such forces as colonization, immigration and trade deals, the products also quickly became popular in countries across Asia and Africa. “Maggi products were first imported into China as early as the 1930s,” says Nelson Pena, president of baking and global foods at Nestlé USA, Maggi’s parent company. Maggi eventually brought a China-specific blend to market in 1994. Today, the French version of Maggi is still highly revered in Vietnam, Nguyen says. “For cooking, you use the Chinese version,” she says. “If you really want to impress people, you whip out the French version. It’s more expensive.”

Maggi continued to expand its product line, first introducing noodles to Malaysia in the 1970s, before it eventually gained extreme popularity in India and decent market share in such places as South Africa, Ukraine and New Zealand, Pena says. Today, the Maggi empire — one of Nestlé’s billion-dollar brands — sells more than 7,000 products across 98 countries. All of them remain extremely affordable.

The Maggi expansion hasn’t been without hiccups, particularly in India. In 2015, after government tests there showed elevated levels of lead (along with MSG, which is legal in India but requires a warning label that wasn’t on the packages), Indian consumers were so incensed they burned the noodles in the streets, along with photos of celebrity Maggi endorsers. The crisis went on for months, with India eventually banning Maggi products nationwide and Nestlé — while insisting that the government tests were wrong — recalling the products, incinerating 37,000 tons of them. Later that year, after Nestlé sued, India’s High Court lifted the ban, allowing the company to resume sales if the products passed extensive tests, which they did. By the following spring, Maggi was at the top of India’s noodle business again, with 50 percent market share.

Activists burn packets of Maggi noodles during a 2015 protest in Kolkata, India. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images)

Even though the products that Maggi sells in each market are very different, they have become integral to the cuisines of many countries. Nguyen, Avila, Onwuachi and Saadat agreed that Maggi seasoning sauces and bouillon cubes give food this umami je ne sais quoi. No one could quite describe what the taste of Maggi was, but they could definitely tell if it was missing from a dish.

The flavor is so necessary that Avila and Onwuachi, both chefs who have cooked in fine-dining kitchens, insist on using Maggi at their restaurants. At Guerrilla Tacos in Los Angeles, Avila uses Jugo Maggi in a marinade for his pork char xui tacos. You can also find it in the quesadilla, where maitake mushrooms are tossed with Jugo Maggi, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. He also avidly cooks with it at home, noting that it is one of the secret weapons in his carne asada.

Onwuachi takes his commitment to Maggi to new heights at his D.C. restaurant Kith and Kin. “I import cubes of Maggi from Nigeria,” he says with a laugh. “We use it to make suya and other dishes. I need it for that traditional taste.” The Maggi is so important to the kitchen, one prep cook has the pleasurable task of unwrapping hundreds of foil-wrapped bouillon cubes, one-by-one, before service.

[At Kith and Kin, chef Kwame Onwuachi tells his story — and hits his stride]

Maggi, like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Starbucks, is adept at localization, adapting products to fit the flavor palates of local markets. This helps to explain its global success. “Where possible, we optimize our sourcing and selectively source ingredients locally that drive authentic taste and flavor, like herbs and spices,” notes Pena. On one hand, this is advantageous for local cooks (and curious Maggi collectors). On the other hand, it makes it difficult to substitute one Maggi product with a similar one from another country.

Avila has tasted the Chinese version of Maggi seasoning sauce but much prefers the light flavor of Jugo Maggi. Nguyen insists the French version tastes more high-end than the Vietnamese version, which is closer to soy sauce. And Onwuachi will use only Maggi bouillon cubes from Nigeria for certain dishes and cubes from Jamaica for others. Saadat says that she once tried to use Maggi bouillon cubes purchased from a Canadian supermarket instead of a South Asian grocery store and found them to be completely lacking in flavor and nearly inedible.

With such products as 2 Minute Cheese-flavored instant noodles and instant mushroom soups, Maggi surprisingly isn’t a household name in the United States. According to Pena, Maggi’s biggest markets are Germany, India, Brazil, the Middle East and West Africa. Many Maggi products contain MSG, which naturally occurs in hydrolyzed vegetable protein. And though MSG has been falsely maligned in headlines, there is no doubt that it adds a deep umami flavor to anything it touches. For now, acquiring a bottle or cube of Maggi usually requires wandering down the “international aisle” at a supermarket. If you’re lucky, you might just find five different versions.

More from Voraciously:

Far from her homeland, my mother finds comfort at a Patel Brothers grocery store

On this the Italians all agree: True ragu needs time.

Cooking Vietnamese food in America used to require a trip to an Asian market. No more.

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Info/Memories

I am always nonbinary and asexual/biromantic unless otherwise stated. I’ll list specific memories (if I have them) under each kin. Also special info if necessary.

Shigeo Kageyama ~

Lots of memories but I’ll list some important ones. I had a crush on Teruki, who was also nonbinary. After my experience with Mogami I became heavily uncomfortable calling Reigen “Master,” which he didn’t question and let me stop calling him that. I cussed to myself a lot, but not around others for fear of offending them. I thought of Shou like a second brother. My parents weren’t very nice or accepting of me. ???% wasn’t another being living inside me, but a deeper instinctual part of myself. I knew this because I was still partly conscious while in that state.

Link ~

Most of my memories are from Breath of the Wild. While I was asleep I regained memories from past lives, making the memories from my current life even more confusing. I deeply loved Zelda, very very much. She was the only one I felt comfortable talking to (or crying around). I liked humming around her too. I ended up collecting every Silent Princess flower I found on my travels and showing them all to her when we were reunited. She was happy but started laughing because they were an endangered species and I wasn’t supposed to be picking them.

Mikaela Hyakuya ~

The first time I saw my red eyes I started crying. Once I started living with the humans again I had constant anxiety, thinking someone would try to attack me at any moment.

Ciel Phantomhive ~

Don’t you dare talk to me about sebaciel I will kill you right then and there. In fact I despise the author of Black Butler and at least 80% of the fans. How unfortunate. I had dependent personality disorder and attached myself to Sebastian because he was my only parental figure left. Things are fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure he was killed and once he was gone from my life I finally started to recover from my trauma.

Pearl ~

I was sorta messy and all over the place. Punk but hyper feminine too. I was extremely close with Steven and we liked to fuse into Rainbow Quartz often. The large fight with Garnet never happened, but I did find myself often disassociating from the others in the group. I liked going out and exploring different human-inhabited areas. During the war I shape shifted into Rose while Pink Diamond was shattered, making people believe Rose was the one to do it. If I did it they would let me go, and I could escape to Earth.

Chat Noir (Adrien Agreste) ~

Depression and other unchecked mental illnesses™. My dad was always cold to me, even before my mother’s death.

Lithuania ~

(Lmao I haven’t watched Hetalia in years) I was very feminine. I became good friends with England, and I also ended up befriending Prussia. But there were lots of other countries I was not friendly with, including Russia.

Shinji Ikari ~

Wow I miss Kaworu yikes. Very few memories honestly. We all returned to life and we were able to continue school, but I’m not sure if that happiness lasted forever.

Kaneki Ken ~

Honestly most of my memories are from my time as Sasaki. I’m not sure, but I may have stayed that way for years of my life. A long time.

Lars Barriga ~

I was a trans boy, which added a lot to my insecurity over my identity. I was bullied as a kid and my parents seemed unable to help. I spent years acting tough and masculine but I was scared and confused. I may have been aromantic. Sadie was my best friend and eventually the only one I felt comfortable opening up to. It took me forever to admit it but I was very happy Steven actually considered me a friend. I tried to refrain from being overly mean and instead pretended to be a chill person who was never awkward, but that often failed. After my death and rebirth and living with gems I became much more feminine and let that part of myself open up, instead of pushing it down, thinking it made me less of a man.

Eri ~

I was actually much older than I ever looked, due to stunted growth. I was around 15 when Midoriya first found me. I ended up living on the UA campus so that powerful superheroes could guard me and I would have access to kids my age to interact with while learning how to use my own quirk.

Steven Universe ~

Bit of a repeat from earlier, but Pearl and I were very close and we loved to form Rainbow Quartz often. Around the time I turned 14 I started wearing lots of girly clothes and flowing fabrics, and I liked putting colorful pins in my hair.

Trainer Moon ~

I had blonde hair and blue eyes, and my starter was Popplio. I was very gay for Lillie. We met up again several years after she moved away, and there was lots of happy crying. I became really close with Gladion, and he liked to confide in me and hang around me when he didn’t have much else to do.

Star Butterfly ~

Marco was a trans girl and boy was I gay for her. As a Mewman, I had sharp shark-like teeth. I had fantasies of being a rock star. I wore lots of spikes and eyeliner to try to make myself look as “punk” as possible but I could never let go of my bright colorful fashion taste.

Max Puckett ~

Gay for Isaac but too stubborn to admit it. I hated drama and really came off as rude and unsympathetic whenever I tried to avoid it.

Party Poison ~

I was gay for Show Pony (wow am I sensing a pattern here?) I sung a lot of music and always wished I had some way to record it. I had vague memories of the California coast. I never knew if they were actual childhood memories or if I’d been told stories about it and it was an image created by my mind, but I always dreamed of seeing the ocean with my own eyes. After I lost the battle, I was taken back to the city and reeducated and sedated. It must’ve been years later, it was all a blur, but I eventually managed to slip out and wandered the desert for a long time.

Danny Fenton ~

I was really more dead than alive. Phantom Planet did not happen. (Also lmao Butch Hartman can take his stupid ideas and suck on my gay nonbinary feminine ghost ectoplasm)

Mettaton ~

I became a total heartthrob on the surface and it was honestly incredible. I never strayed too far from where Napstablook was though. They really were like a little sibling to me.

Tails ~

Honestly not very many memories but I think my canon was sorta like the Sonic X anime. Also I loved him he was like a brother but Sonic was a total doofus lmao. Also we were the same age.

Vriska Serket ~

Killed off my lusus the second I knew I was capable of taking care of myself. That way I wouldn’t have to kill anymore. Tavros was an asshole to me, constantly. In fact, most of my friends were when we were younger. I stayed on the meteor with Terezi. Eventually, I navigated my way to the new universe. It took years, however.

Izuku Midoriya ~

Here we are in the barely any memories section. I do know I got into fights a lot as a kid to prove I wasn’t weak, and I ended up winning most of the time. Bakugou wasn’t that mean to me, just dismissive, which hurt because we really were friends as kids.

Luke Skywalker ~

Specific memories? Where? I was pretty gay you can be sure of that.

Tooru Mutsuki ~

Trans boy, I was gay for Sasaki. Things were a lot less….. tragic overall in my canon than in the source material.

Rhys ~

After Jack possessed me I lost my trust in him and tried to betray him. After it was all over, I was too scared of him coming back to replace the tech in my head. I just kept my eye covered. And I definitely wasn’t nearly talented enough to replace my arm by myself. That had to wait for a long while until I found the rest of the survivors again.