The Tea Kettle - DesiQuest After Show Podcast - Ep 6 with Rekha Shankar & Voodoo Val *SNEAK PEAK*

Episode Description:
When the kettle whistles and the tea is ready, it's time for the DesiQuest after-show—and what a show it is! Omar Najam and I, Sandeep Parikh, are all cozied up inside the teapot, steaming with excitement.  After every episode of DesiQuest is launched, we'll release another episode of the Tea Kettle with me and Omar and a very special guest, or guest from either behind or in front of the camera.

We're thrilled to share a candid chat about the unexpected crossroads of our schedules and the whimsical thought of a fundraiser to ensure our whole team can join in the fun. This episode isn't just about our shenanigans; we're joined by two exceptional talents: VoodooVal, the wizard of digital art, and Rekha Shankar, a wordsmith whose narratives captivate. Rekha teases us with tales from her latest project, 'Smarty Pants', while Val's artistic genius not only amplifies our show's aesthetic but also paints our Desi heritage in strokes of vibrant color.

Our conversation meanders through a series of appreciative toasts to the creative muses that are Val and Rekha, whose contributions are as indispensable as they are inspirational. I share a sneak peek into ABCD, the podcast that dissects American-born Desi experiences with the same vigor we tackle a plate of mom's samosas—spiced, satisfying, and leaving you hungry for more. As Omar and I recap the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat combat from our latest episode, we acknowledge it's the support from our Patreon family that enables these moments to come alive. So, whether you're here for the dark fantasy, the cultural camaraderie, or the pure joy of our collective journey, this episode is a heartfelt 'thank you' wrapped in an invitation to continue this wild ride with us.

#ttrpg #actualplay #desicomedy #criticalrole #dimension20  #funny #podcast #roleplay #comedy #indian #community

Website: https://www.desiquest.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DesiQuest

Wanna play D&D with the cast? Buy a seat at the table here: www.desiquest/playwiththepros

DesiQuest merch: www.desiquest.com/merch

Sponsors:
Darrington Press: https://darringtonpress.com/candela/
Gharana Foods: https://www.gharanafoods.com/desiquest.html
Die Hard Dice: https://DesiQuest.com/DHD
Hero Forge: https://www.heroforge.com
Misty Mountain Gaming: https://desiquest.com/misty

Episode Transcript

Sandeep Parkih (00:06):
No baby, oh baby , beholders here we are.

Omar Najam (00:13):
How's it go in Sandeep?

Sandeep Parkih (00:15):
Yeah, oh man, it's… It's… oh man, omar, it's
going well.
Uh… it's going well.
I want to see Omar.
By the way, val and Rekha, I'mgoing to see Omar in less than
12 hours.
Yep, in person lucky at likesix o'clock in the morning.

Omar Najam (00:32):
Yeah, at Burbank Airport, right now we're at Guy
Fieri's finest.
Are you guys going toSketchFest?

Voodoo Val (00:40):
Oh no we're not that cool.

Sandeep Parkih (00:43):
We're going to Park City, which is still cool,
to do this kind of corporate gig.
We're going to be filming abunch of corporate people and
we're also going to be playingD&D with them.

Omar Najam (00:55):
I'm going to Park City this weekend.

Sandeep Parkih (00:58):
Wait what.

Omar Najam (01:00):
With my brother.

Sandeep Parkih (01:03):
What, what?
Just for fun, are you guysgoing to play D&D with a bunch
of corporate people?

Omar Najam (01:09):
No.

Sandeep Parkih (01:10):
Wait, so we hang out yeah.
Jeez, I guess we got to findyou.
We leave on Saturday morning,so I don't know.

Omar Najam (01:18):
I leave on Saturday morning.

Sandeep Parkih (01:20):
Oh really.

Voodoo Val (01:20):
Yeah.

Sandeep Parkih (01:22):
We should hang out, I'm witnessing something
beautiful.

Omar Najam (01:25):
I feel like it Never started an episode of the Tea
Kettle like this.
No, no.
We realized that three of usare going to be in Park City.

Sandeep Parkih (01:37):
Yeah, instead of going to SketchFest.
It's very strange.
Val, do you want to hop on aplane?

Voodoo Val (01:45):
It's crazy that you say that, because I'm not going
to Park City, but I will bedriving through on my way to San
Diego.

Sandeep Parkih (01:53):
So maybe, so you're going to drive through
Park City on your way to SanDiego.

Voodoo Val (01:57):
Through?
Are you guys like in the?

Sandeep Parkih (01:59):
you said Burbank .

Voodoo Val (02:00):
So I thought you were like LA Kind of.

Omar Najam (02:04):
Yes, going to Utah.

Sandeep Parkih (02:06):
We're going to Utah.

Voodoo Val (02:08):
Oh, so no, I won't.

Sandeep Parkih (02:11):
Don't drive through Utah.
I mean actually do, sorry, dodrive through Utah and hang out
with us, maybe, maybe, maybe,maybe.

Omar Najam (02:21):
I don't know.

Sandeep Parkih (02:22):
We'll see how this podcast goes.

Voodoo Val (02:23):
Maybe we will just the entire cast and crew will
just eventually you're here,yeah.

Sandeep Parkih (02:29):
Actually, that's what this podcast is about.
We're here to fundraise to getVoodooVal out to Park City.

Voodoo Val (02:34):
Come on, guys, let's hit this tier, come on.

Sandeep Parkih (02:36):
Let's hit this goal Just a few more thousand
dollars.

Omar Najam (02:40):
Begging you At this point, I'm begging you.

Sandeep Parkih (02:46):
Well, how about I introduce the show?
What do you think?
Maybe?
Ok, hey, welcome to the TeaKettle the Desi Quest After Show
podcast, exclusive to ourPatreon backers.
Oh, thank you, thank you, thankyou.
This whole endeavor cannot bepossible without you, dear
listeners.
So thank you so much.
I'm your host, sandeep, I'm theexecutive producer and cast
member who plays Ash and, asalways, my co-pilot is none

(03:07):
other than the Halcyon OmarNajam, who plays Murkha.

Omar Najam (03:11):
Hello everyone, How's it going?

Sandeep Parkih (03:13):
It's very Halcyon, don't you think?
I think it's pretty Halcyon,you guys, I think for sure, yeah
, yeah, touches of it's givingHalcyon.
Yeah, for sure.
So I lost my page.
Here it is.
I found it again, Guys it justsays banter Did we do.
Banter Is that it.

Voodoo Val (03:32):
I think we did banter, I think we planned a
trip Really.

Sandeep Parkih (03:36):
The page just says this Omar.

Omar Najam (03:38):
What am I doing?
Make a pizza, yeah.

Sandeep Parkih (03:43):
Hey, after every episode of Desi Quest's launch,
we release another episode ofthis the tea kettle with me and
Omar and some very specialguests and from this, from the
show this week we have you.
We kind of already introducedthem, but we have Voodoo Val.
She is a digital artist andcreative educator based in
Northern California.
And, just so everyone knows, itis not on, utah is not on the

(04:06):
way.
No, from where she is to okayno, To ssan diego, just so we're
clear.
Yeah, I don't want to, I don'twant to dox you.

Voodoo Val (04:13):
but that is just the truth about your map.
If you look in Utah, you won'tfind me.
You won't find me.
I mean let them think, let themthink.

Sandeep Parkih (04:21):
Yeah, Let them believe whatever they want to
believe.
Yeah, but speaking of Utah, youdo specialize in dark fantasy
illustration.

Voodoo Val (04:27):
it says here creating mystical worlds Because
Utah screams dark fantasy.
Illustration to me Mysticalworlds and portraits with
sinister vibes.

Sandeep Parkih (04:36):
I mean those Mormon temples are pretty
intense.
Yeah, yeah.

Voodoo Val (04:40):
Very, very unique.
Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm all thespooks, that's, that's my thing.
So anything spooky, creepy,sci-fi fantasy is my jam.

Sandeep Parkih (04:49):
Yeah, yeah.
And now Desi as well, I thinkyou can add to your jam Another
type of spooky yeah.
Yeah, yep, we it's okay, causewe're saying it, that's the case
.

Omar Najam (05:02):
Yeah, yeah.

Sandeep Parkih (05:04):
And then the one , the person just making that
great joke, is Rekha Shankar.
She is an executive storyeditor for Grand Crew on NBC
recently Not there anymore, butnow you are on another show.

Omar Najam (05:18):
It's recently not there anymore.
It's recently not there anymore.

Sandeep Parkih (05:21):
But it was there and it was great, but now
you're working on AndySandberg's and Neil Campbell's.
Digman yeah, Comedy Central.
Is it Digman or Digman Digman?
Okay, I'm sorry, we'll take itagain.
I'm not going to edit this.
You should be pissed.
Also a staff writer forAnimaniacs and a head writer for
College Humor and FrequentlyFeatured all over Dropout.

Omar Najam (05:43):
You're just dropping out so much I got to, you, got
to drop out.

Sandeep Parkih (05:48):
Is there anything you can say about your
new show on Dropout, or is thatnot a?
We're not talking about that.

Omar Najam (05:54):
All I can say is that it's called Smarty Pants.
That's it.

Sandeep Parkih (05:59):
And.

Omar Najam (05:59):
I'll let you everybody take a big guess at
what the themes are.
What it's about?
I'll confirm literally nothingGot it, but I think it could be
fun.
What do you think it's about?
Is it about food?
Is it about dogs?
Is it about Smarts?

Voodoo Val (06:18):
and pants.
That was going to say Is itclothes a?

Omar Najam (06:20):
brand.
Is it about smarties?
Is it a show where I get tooperate on somebody?
Is it a show?

Sandeep Parkih (06:28):
It's just real life operation.
It's the game or game operation.
Yeah, but it's real life, is ita show?

Omar Najam (06:31):
where I get to operate on somebody.

Voodoo Val (06:33):
I don't know, Take a guess.

Sandeep Parkih (06:38):
Uh.
Not another tennis elbow.
All right, well, before youguys before, so lovely to have
you.
Thanks for being on this.
Uh, this episode.
Before we dive into episode six, uh, we're going to ask you,
you, dear listener, to go aheadand do that thing where you
comment and you like and you doall that stuff, and then maybe
tell a friend, tell a friendabout Desi Quest, let us know

(07:01):
what we got cooking here.
Maybe tell them about thisPatreon and how fun these, these
after shows are.
And if you haven't already,head on over to DesiQuest.
com, hop on to that mailing list.
Huh, get some, get.
You get a discount Drops intoyour inbox once you join and you
get some sweet, sweet merch.
We did have a handful ofsponsors too on, took a big put,

(07:22):
took big swings on us to makethis show possible, and so we
want to shout them out.
That's not even part of theirdeal, we're just doing it
because they, they loved on usbefore we had nothing, and so we
want to look back to them.
And so this week we want toshout out die hard dice who
jumped in and helped us out, um,uh, with some finishing funds,

(07:42):
because they believe in us and Ibelieve in those dice, you guys
.
They're juicy, they uh uh.
Iconic metal enchanting polymerdice as well.
They got party saving trays andgame upgrades and they have
actually really great service.
Like they have a great servicedepartment.
They really pride themselves onservice.
If you have any issues withanything, they like they get on

(08:03):
the phone with you.
They talk to you.
Um so, uh yeah, take yourgaming to new heights while
telling your story your ownunique way with diehard dice.
And, by the way, you can get adiscount on their stuff and help
our show by going to DesiQuest.
com/ DHD for diehard dice andthat will shoot you to our link

(08:24):
and then if you buy stuff fromthere, it helps out.
Helps us out too.
So there you go.

Omar Najam (08:30):
There you go and if you like if you like the banter
that you heard earlier aboutthings like Halcyon or like
possibly what Rekha's show couldbe about might I recommend for
you that you check out ABCD, apodcast that's Sandeep, and I
host on EffinFunny, we chatabout all things about being
American born, chatty, creativesand concerned Desis lots of

(08:50):
that concern going around thesedays, so confused about some
culture, identity, stuff thatwe're working on.
We usually play a ridiculousgame and then we pick the Desi
of the week.
You can find over 30 episodesof the show on EffinFunny on the
YouTube or wherever podcastscan be found.

Sandeep Parkih (09:07):
Yes, yes, and someday, Rekha, you two can be
the Desi of the week, I meanjust, I was about to ask.
Yeah, just keep hosting shows,and that's keeping up hosting,
operating shows.

Omar Najam (09:20):
Yeah, ok, looking for my plaque in the mail right
now.

Sandeep Parkih (09:23):
Yeah, we'll see, we'll see, but we put a pause
on that show.
We're starting back up,hopefully in March of this year,
but we put a pause on that showso we can do this show.
So, without further ado, I, youget to hear it, you guys hear
it.
Oh, the tea kettle is whistling, so let's spill some chai.
About episode number one oh six, this was a juicy episode.

(09:50):
This was a combat.
This was, this was, this wasspiders climbing mountains.
Yeah, almost eating mycharacter.
Yeah, you know big cliffhanger,endie.
Going on there Lots of juicystuff, but we're going to dive
into all, yeah, lots of greatcombat, if you are right.

(10:15):
I think Omar, you said thisbefore like, if you're like a
big combat nerd, this is likethe episode for you, right?

Omar Najam (10:20):
Yes, I did that last week.
It was our last episode.
It's like if you're in for some5E, you're in for some 5E right
now.

Sandeep Parkih (10:27):
Yeah that's for sure.
Before we jump on that, let'sask Val, you know Val did.
What I like to say is reallyit's like the icing on the cake
really is what you created forus in.
Like, what's a cake withouticing?

Voodoo Val (10:45):
It's it's like a muffin.
Basically, it's just a sweetbread, it's like a muffin
without, without icing.

Omar Najam (10:51):
Which?
Which?

Sandeep Parkih (10:52):
also sucks.
Yeah, you know, you visuallyinterpreted all the characters,
creating your illustrations andall these incredible graphics
for the show.
What?
What drew you to this project?
Besides?
Was it just Jasmine forcing youto do it, or what I wouldn't
say?
She forced me to do it.

Voodoo Val (11:10):
And you guys know her.
I think any opportunity to workwith her is going to be a great
time.
But I think that just the, thesubject matter and and the
project as a whole wasdefinitely near and dear to my
heart as well, because I've beena fantasy nerd all of my life
and I grew up in a neighborhoodthat was predominantly like

(11:35):
multi-generational Indianfamilies and like we like I feel
like I've spent a lot of timewith Desi people, but I have
never been able to work on aproject like and play to my
strength to kind of pay tributeto all of the wonderful people
that I've met.

(11:55):
So this was like an opportunityfor me, for me to do that, to
really like kind of contributeartistically to something that I
felt was like really going hardto raise up and make visible
people in that community.
So it was an honor to be a partof that and I was like,
absolutely I will do this, Iwould love to do this, I would

(12:19):
love to be able to to be a partof it.

Omar Najam (12:21):
So it was it was.

Voodoo Val (12:22):
It was that as well.
It was special to me personallyand because a lot of my friends
were a part of it.

Sandeep Parkih (12:29):
This is another one of those instances of this,
like the universe conspiring toget us to make the show as
magical as I think it is,because, like now, I can't
imagine the show without yourstamp on it.

Voodoo Val (12:44):
Like it doesn't.

Sandeep Parkih (12:46):
You know what I mean.
It doesn't compute like itwouldn't make sense because you
had such an influence over thevisual feel of the show in such
a profound way.
I think with those with withall of it, like the, the gold
and just like I just all thetransitions and all the stuff
that that really kind of gel theshow together.

Voodoo Val (13:05):
Thank you.

Sandeep Parkih (13:05):
So I've been blessed to have you on this
project, truly.

Voodoo Val (13:09):
Blessed to be here.

Sandeep Parkih (13:11):
I think blessed hashtag blessed you guys.
We're just so, so blessed andhey, so sorry to interrupt, but
the rest of this episode is forour Patreon subscribers only.
So if you'd like to hear therest of this juicy conversation,
let me tell you it gets juicy.
There's another 50 minutes, 50,five zero of this conversation

(13:34):
over at patreon.
com/DesiQuest.
Thank you so much forsupporting the show.