The Tea Kettle - PAX Unplugged 2023 with Sandeep Parikh & Anjali Bhimani - *SNEAK PEAK*

Join the entire cast of DesiQuest who will be doing a panel at PAX East on Sunday March 24, 2024 from 3pm-4pm in the Bumblebee Theater.

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.

When our very own Omar gets likened to a beloved British "muppet," you know it's the start of another memorable episode of the Tea Kettle podcast, where laughter is as essential as our next breath. Join us as we take you through the highs of our recent live event at PAX Unplugged, where the energy of our enthusiastic supporters was nothing short of electric. Feeling the love from the community, we dive into the significance of representing brown mythology in media and the indelible connections we've fostered with you, our listeners – it's a heartfelt thank you that resonates with the warmth of 850 cheering fans.

Our episode takes an emotional turn as we explore the range of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and Sandeep brings a scene to life in a way that tugs at the heartstrings. We unravel the power of humor as a shield, revealing how TTRPGs offer a sanctuary for actors to navigate the complexities of their characters' lives, as well as their own. Later, we whisk you away to the unique atmosphere of Critical Role Live at Wembley, sharing candid moments and the sheer joy that comes from the unpredictability of the dice roll – proving that sometimes, a natural one can be as thrilling as a critical hit.

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

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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 Parikh (00:03):
Hi everybody, yay, oh my gosh, you guys.
Thank you so much for showingup to like the late night.
Well, this is the late nightfor me because I'm old, but like
I don't know, if it's latenight for another rest of you,
DesiQuest after hours.

Anjali Bhimani (00:13):
That's right.
Oh, oh, oh, yeah.
Okay, that's podcast number two.
Yeah, I'm gonna say that that'sgonna be me and Jasmine, okay,
because that's a whole differentvibe.
I guess, I guess, you guys

Sandeep Parikh (00:30):
You guess I just got cut from the podcast.

Anjali Bhimani (00:33):
Nooo, because you got the Tea Kettle, the Tea
Kettle is your.

Sandeep Parikh (00:36):
baby.

Anjali Bhimani (00:36):
Alright, I'm just filling in for Omar.

Sandeep Parikh (00:39):
No, you're more than You're in upgrade, frankly,
oh.

Anjali Bhimani (00:43):
Let's be honest, we beat up on Omar because it's
fun, but oh, we shouldn't.

Sandeep Parikh (00:45):
And also he is so lovely and you can, he's the
sweetest thing on the planet?

Anjali Bhimani (00:50):
Yes, Like I don't even.
He's such a muppet like themost delicious sweetheart.

Sandeep Parikh (00:55):
He's a muppet.

Anjali Bhimani (00:55):
And not a muppet in like the British term, where
it kind of means like, becausehe's also wicked smart.
What's the British term about?
That A Muppet is kind of, atleast in my experience, a Muppet
is a little bit of someone'slike oh God, there's such a
Muppet Like they're like, so notsmart.

Sandeep Parikh (01:11):
It's an idiot.
Okay, you were saying that in anice way.

Anjali Bhimani (01:15):
I didn't want to use the word, but we went there
.
So there we going, and now,apparently, I have a different
accent too.

Sandeep Parikh (01:20):
I don't know why .

Anjali Bhimani (01:21):
Should I introduce the podcast?
We should, because there are somany people who are gonna be
listening to this and not inthis room and I have no idea
what's going on.

Sandeep Parikh (01:28):
Right, okay, so welcome.
This is the Tea Kettle podcastlive at PAX Unplugged.
Give it up, give up, woo Woo.
I just have to describe tothose listeners at home Anjali,

(01:51):
running up and down the aisles,kind of exposing herself.

Anjali Bhimani (01:55):
I'm wearing a high neck sweater.
I may just be shoving my bosominto people's faces, because it
has a microphone attached to it.

Sandeep Parikh (02:02):
Yeah, nobody seems too upset, so I hope we're
doing fine, anand.

Anjali Bhimani (02:07):
We have a superstar in the room.
You gotta give up your so lookback there.

Sandeep Parikh (02:11):
We'll start with this.
Anand Shah is one of ourexecutive producers.
Woo, he's the one executiveproducer you don't see on the
show.
I know, and I know Everybodyelse is on the show.

Anjali Bhimani (02:22):
I feel like, can we like next season?
Yeah, I said next season it'sgonna happen.
I swear.
Okay, I said it there fore it'shappening.

Sandeep Parikh (02:28):
Not only did you hear her first, I just heard it
here first.

Anjali Bhimani (02:31):
So congratulations, when I want
something, I get something.
And so we're having a secondseason, and apparently I'm a
childish British whiner.
But I hope in the second seasonwe can drag Anand on for a
little guest part.

Sandeep Parikh (02:44):
Okay, I mean Does Anand want that?
Should we ask him?

Anjali Bhimani (02:49):
Is he going to speak to me?
I'm scared.
Now he's like hi, no, pleasestop talking to me and leave me
alone.

Sandeep Parikh (02:56):
Less attention.

Anjali Bhimani (02:56):
Less attention.
Got it, got it, got it, got it.
But we are so happy that he ishere because we don't get to see
him as much because we're allon the West Coast, that's right.
So this is very fun to be overhere on the East Coast hanging
with all of you Very excited.
Thank you not only for beinghere present, but thank you for
supporting the show.
How many?

Sandeep Parikh (03:13):
backers do we have in this audience?

Anjali Bhimani (03:15):
Amazing.
That's all the hands.

Sandeep Parikh (03:17):
By the way, audience at home, they're
raising their hands.
That's why you couldn't hearthem.

Anjali Bhimani (03:19):
Yeah, that's it, it was a lot yes so many hands,
you guys, so many hands,they're like, they're like a
good 850 people in this room.

Sandeep Parikh (03:27):
Oh, my gosh, oh my gosh, you heard it, that's it
, that's it, that's it, that'sit, that's it.
Ok.
Ok, that was.
Why do we not have video?
Now this is an explicit show?
No, it's not At this point thefirst time you're allowed, but
the second one you're in trouble?

Anjali Bhimani (03:46):
Come on, I just want people to be heard.

Sandeep Parikh (03:48):
Yeah.

Anjali Bhimani (03:48):
Let the voices ring out.
It feels like 850 people itdoes, and that's what matters,
and we feel the love from thecommunity that you guys have
created surrounding this showand this game is so incredible,
and especially since the launch.

Sandeep Parikh (04:04):
Yeah, I feel I never felt so supported doing a
show I mean, like usually you doa show.
I mean, I haven't done a lot ofcrowdfunding in the past, so
this was my first crowdfundingeffort period, but I think also
because of the goals, themission of this show in
particular, right, it wasespecially.
Not only were you obviouslysupported by people, but I think

(04:25):
people really got behind theconcept of like, hey, I wanna
see brown people representingthemselves around the table as
the stars of a show and livingin a mythos that is our, from
the mythology that we grew upwith, and I could feel that
coming through the internetscreens.

(04:48):
It was really palpable in a waythat I didn't expect.
It was really moving.
So thank you everybody here whosupported everybody at home and
supported us.
It brought me to tears many,many times and I'm one of those
guys that's like no, I shouldnever cry, cause that makes me
feel weak.
But then I did a lot.

Anjali Bhimani (05:04):
Usually it's because I beat him up.

Sandeep Parikh (05:05):
That's usually why he's crying.
So it's really wonderful.

Anjali Bhimani (05:08):
No, you are such a I'm very excited and, without
spoiling anything, there is agorgeous scene that Sandeep has
in an upcoming episode that Iknow you from working with you
on set.
What do we change the name toWizard School Dropout Wizards
School Dropout yeah so, and Iknow you both.

(05:28):
You and Anand both from there,and so I know you as this comedy
guy.
I know you as a super fun comedyguy and to see the
vulnerability that comes outfrom someone the first time you
get to see it and the first timeyou get to see, no, I'm doing
it the first time you get to seethat vulnerability underneath

(05:49):
all of that is just breathtakingand I'm so excited about that
scene.
It's a really special one.

Sandeep Parikh (05:55):
It's such a function of.
I mean, I think the TTRPGformat really lends itself well
to that, which I didn't fullyappreciate.
I mean, obviously I'd seenenough of it and I was like I
wonder if I'll go there, cause Iam my crutch is comedy.
Yeah, it's like it's-.

Anjali Bhimani (06:10):
This is apparently the international
symbol For comedy.
Everybody dances with theirelbows when they do comedy,
right To the left and the right.

Sandeep Parikh (06:17):
Yeah and so like .
Listen, I was born and raisedin New Hampshire.
I was the one right, exactlythe chuckles mean everything
like exactly how I felt theentire time Was, you know, I was
the only brown dude within athousand miles, it felt like.
And so to build a tough skin,it was like, oh, you just crack
jokes about everything.
You know you're kind of likethat's the way you sort of kung

(06:41):
fu away anything that would sortof approach you know your heart
you know, in a hurtful way, andif you could do that, then it
showed you owned it, and thenyou, and then people were more
comfortable around you as aresult, and so then it lessened
any of those blows and it madeit feel like, oh, you can, you
can razz on each other, you canchum with each other, and so

(07:01):
that's, I think you know, hasalways been my go-to.
So now, doing this show notaround, you know, predominantly
white people or people thataren't Indian or South Asian it
was a different, it was just adifferent experience.
Obviously I felt like I wasexposed in a way that I hadn't,

(07:24):
you know sort of expected.

Anjali Bhimani (07:26):
Yeah, I think also, like you were saying,
specifically this genre ofentertainment, the TTRPG, actual
play, whether it's live orwhether it's recorded.
One of the nine gazillionthings I love about it is that
it allows you to have the highsand the lows of life and really

(07:48):
explore all of that.
And it's such a constantreminder that even in life you
can be laughing your ass off oneminute and then something can
completely shift that.

Sandeep Parikh (07:57):
And then you can go like oh, and then fucking,
Luis Carazo comes in, and thenLuis Carazo comes in, and then
three sentences and you'refucking weeping.
Yeah, exactly.

Anjali Bhimani (08:04):
And all the girls are like hi, and he's like
I'm gay and I'm sorry, guys,you're not my type, but I'm a
lovely human being.

Sandeep Parikh (08:12):
We love Luis so, so much.
Oh my God.

Anjali Bhimani (08:14):
He's so, oh, what a lovely human.
But obviously everyone who ishere I am assuming has had some
experience with TTRPGs but maybenot everybody who's listening
has and I hope that everyone whois listening takes at least one
chance to play some kind oftabletop role-playing game to

(08:35):
put yourself into thatexperience with a roomful of
friends a roomful of fun peoplewho care about you and love you
and want you to succeed,whatever that looks like.
Because so?
Okay, this is one way, this isanother reason.

Sandeep Parikh (08:50):
I love TTRPGs.

Anjali Bhimani (08:54):
Okay, so how do I say this without sounding like
a douche?
I just used the word.
I don't know if I'm supposed tosay that word anymore.

Sandeep Parikh (09:01):
I'm an old Indian woman.

Anjali Bhimani (09:02):
I'm allowed to say anything.
We'll, bleep douche, you canbleep that, thank you, thank you
.
So I was in London and I was atthe Critical Role Live play
there at Wembley and I realizedI was talking, but I was talking
with Matt before the show andthey were all a little nervous,
understandably.
But what I realized in thatmoment is that I had seen

(09:24):
musicians play there because ofRick.
I had seen Rick is my husbandand, yes, I'm going to brag
about him, he's a musician, he'splayed Wembley Aha, the end, I
didn't know that's cool, yeah,twice Sick.
But so I've seen musicians playthere.
I've seen sports matches there,but to see one of these live
plays there is a completelyunique situation because when

(09:46):
people are playing sports orwhen musicians are there, there
is always someone in theaudience who is not looking for
them to fail, but if they don'tmake the goal or don't make you
know, if something goes wrong,they are ready to jump on them.
When someone rolls a naturalone in a TTRPG people are

(10:07):
excited and supportive.
There's no failing Like you'llhear the oh, but it's not at you
, it's not at the player, it'sfor the character.
And then you're excited to seewhere the story goes and it's
fun.
And if they're laughing, if theaudience is laughing, or if the
people are playing, you'replaying with they're laughing,
they're laughing with you.
That's the thing, becauseyou're not there to win.

Sandeep Parikh (10:30):
Hey, so sorry to interrupt, but the rest of this
episode is for our Patreonsubscribers 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 50,5-0, of this conversation over
at patreoncomcom.