[2022] Community Focus - PsalmLab

If you couldn’t already tell, we adore a solid lore video from Guardians! There are so many incredible content creators out there pouring their hearts out to share their love of Destiny 2 lore and its infinite potential. Among them is our latest Community Focus! 
Meet PsalmLab: content creator, storyteller, and all-around kind human being. He’s an incredible Guardian, always showing others by example exactly what it means to be brave enough to be kind and your true, authentic self. From phenomenal lore breakdowns to the occasional tin foil hat theory, let’s jump right into chatting with our latest Guardian taking the stage.  
First things first: How the heck are you? Go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself and what you bring to the Destiny 2 community!  

PsalmLab: Hello! My name is Psalm Lab, also known as Smart (yes, it’s my real name). I am a narrative writer and YouTuber. I dedicate a lot of my time to creating Destiny 2 lore videos.  
Spreading awareness of neurodiversity is also a big part of what I do! Through invitations to speak at creative industry events or at game studios, I’m able to share the importance of inclusion for creators on the spectrum that work for them, or, as I like to call them, “neuro-creatives” (I made that up. It doesn’t exist…yet.) 


Most of the content I create is put together like a case study or living book. Something anyone can pick up now or ten years in the future and be inspired or encouraged by. A resource, if you will. 

You dive deep into a lot of lore and have created some amazing speculation videos based off of that love you have. What drives you to create the content you make?  

[Sweats] I try my best to ask questions rather than speculate, but sometimes my imagination gets the best of me. I am neurodiverse. This simply means that my brain functions differently from a neuro-typical brain. As someone who is both Black and dyslexic, Destiny, and games in general, have enabled me to hone and focus my abilities and work on my weaknesses. And I’m passionate about telling stories and helping others to do the impossible like I did. 

The longer answer, however, is that these stories guided me. When I learned more about Destiny 1 and how it wasn’t just a simple shooter, but one that included a lot of stories that happened within the world, I was hooked. It was an easy sell for me because storytelling has always meant so much to me, especially as a child. I was seven years old when I was first diagnosed with dyslexia, and it was difficult for a multitude of reasons. I felt different, the learning curve as a kid felt steeper, and I didn’t feel like I fit in until I discovered the joys of reading. 

In school, I read every single book I could get my hands on. It felt like I could relate to the kids in the stories I was immersed in and what they were going through. It helped me find my own way, and that made my love for Destiny feel fluid and natural. And even though I knew it to be true, playing through campaign missions and learning about the diverse characters gave me more confidence in being what many would call weird or different. But I have become increasingly happy about it, and I’m thankful that we have those types of stories to help us in our own lives.  

What was your evolution for content creation, like how did you get started? Any particular aspects of your own growth stand out to you the most? Any roadblocks that you had to overcome?  

I first started to truly pursue content creation back in 2016. That was when I started my first “official” YouTube channel, making vlogs about Pokémon GO. It started as a hobby, but it very quickly became much more than that by becoming something I genuinely loved devoting time to and wanted to get better at. There is just something about filming, recording, and releasing consistent content that takes me back to my childhood dream of wanting to make my own games and tell my own stories. 

And after the COVID-19 pandemic, that dream started to become a reality. The challenge for me was discovering what exactly is “my thing,” the niche that I enjoy, and how to best hone that. I have spent hours upon hours studying Destiny, paying attention to what Bungie developers were doing or saying. I remember going to sleep and dreaming about the lore and how I could dissect or analyze it in a way that others might not be able to. One of my biggest hurdles is English literature, and ironically, I am a writer, but there are tools I use for accessibility that help me achieve what textbooks or having information drilled into me at school couldn’t teach me. Because of those tools and my passion, I keep falling in love with writing and reading all over again. 

What’s your dream project to work on when reflecting on the history behind Destiny and the possibilities of the future?  

Oh wow! This is a big question! I would love to work with the Bungie team on something someday, obviously, but my current focus is my Old Chicago web series.  

Old Chicago: Wild Hunt is a story centered around a Guardian named Shayura and her fireteam, who are sent to investigate the cause behind other Guardians going missing in the abandoned Golden Age city. It is an ambitious project made up of a large team of fellow Destiny community members, including some well-known Destiny players like Niiightstalker, Jessie Yun, Chuck, Weston, Neenkin, Laeti, and Jackula. I couldn’t be prouder of the work that we do.  

Any advice you have for content creators of all types who may just be getting started?  

Simple: Always remain humble, practice self-care, and connect with other like-minded creatives like yourself. Guardians are stronger together. 
Look, I get it. It can be a long journey. You may get frustrated along the way, and you may even spend too many hours comparing yourself to similar content creators, but please don't! It’s bad for your mental health; I learned that the hard way. It does nothing to help you grow as a person or as a creator. 
A while back, I openly tweeted that I wanted to be like certain content creators when I started up my YouTube again after a long hiatus (we’ll call it burnout number three). I quickly realized how unprofitable that was for me. To spend my days trying to be like, or be better than someone else, made no sense and tore me up. It made me not want to create. 

Eventually, and with a lot of encouragement, regular breaks, prayer/meditation, and support from family and friends, I calmed down, began working on my own mindset, and continued to remind myself why I create. What was it that made me want to get started? Eventually, I learned to enjoy just being where I am. 

OK, switching gears a bit! What’s your go-to class of choice? Make me proud, Psalm!  

I have to say day one, I’m a Titan at heart. Nothing brings me greater joy than storming through PvE or PvP with Arc 3.0 as a Striker Titan paired with Cynthoceps. Infused with electricity and closing the gap on Hunters or Warlocks. That being said... 

I have always identified with Warlocks just a little bit more. They’re prone to taking to the battle with an air of calmness and researching the battle beforehand instead of just jumping right into the fray. Knowing when it’s time to fight and when it’s time to simply let go. That aspect of Warlocks has always struck me, and it influences my playstyle heavily.  

I spend more time filming and researching. So, if you ever run into me in-game, you can find me crouching in a corner screen recording or taking screenshots for recording or thumbnail purposes. [Laughs] I’ve been known to do it during raids, sometimes maybe not at the best time, but hey. I always get that screenshot.  

If you could create your own subclass, no restrictions, what would that look like? Philosophize!  

Ho, ho, ho! Now we are asking the right questions [conspiratorial wink]. The subclass I would create would be based on Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness. Its name would be “Luster,” a type of pyramidal energy that borrows (or leeches, if you prefer) from the Light to provide healing. But it is inherently good, not bad. Ahem, I do have a lore video on this. 

But it’s all about presenting the idea that other powers, or rather “spectrums” of Light, exist within the Destiny universe and we as Guardians are only tapping into a small fraction. If you think about the rainbow, there are multiple colors. Imagine if we had that number of subclasses available as players? We would certainly be spoiled for choice. 

With everything shown during the Lightfall showcase, what are you most excited about coming up?  

It most definitely must be heading to Neptune and visiting Neomuna. Neptune is based in the Jovians, which is the Nine territory, and I’m all about the Nine as a fan.  

More broadly, the story is really what has me most excited. I’m hoping for a “Big Red” (Rasputin) appearance and possibly some Clovis Bray?  

Recently, I was doing a lot of research that took me three weeks to put together all about the Exodus Project (a program developed by Rasputin to send humanity out amongst the stars) and linking that to the Colony ship that managed to escape during the collapse and land on Neptune. 

When I realized the connective story was there, I couldn’t resist delving further in to see if I could uncover the truth. I’m a huge fan of the Narrative Team at Bungie, and because of that, I like to respect what they have written and bring it to life with some voice acting. Which is a fun and solid way to pass the time because I cannot wait to see how Lightfall will unfold.  I do have some sneaky suspicions about how the story “may” unfold, but I have happily been wrong before. 

In the entire history of Destiny, share with us some of what “hits different.” It could be the reason behind a beloved character, or most-enjoyed quest—favorite plant type, [laughs], whatever comes to mind!  

I say this a lot: In Destiny, anything is possible. The team has done an incredible job with narrative design. When you enter the world of Destiny, you can find treasures of lore hidden all over, including narrative strings that connect the past, present, and the future! 

Take Nessus. A Colony ship called the Exodus Black crashed there, giving players a close-up look at what an Exodus ship looks like. And we meet Failsafe, a Golden Age AI, who actively searches for SIVA [gasps]. It’s true, if you stand by her long enough, you’ll hear her say something very interesting. 

Failsafe and Rasputin are two of my favorite characters. They embody so much emotion and humanity. They are both incredibly whimsical and funny, as well. If you need a good laugh after a long day, I recommend visiting Nessus for a public event or bounty mission with Failsafe. It’s always a great time. 

Any wild theories you want to shout out to the ether? Weirdest theory you’ve heard from other communities?  

Sure! The wildest theory I have is that Riven wasn’t the last Ahamkara. Why? If you visited Mara’s chamber during the Season of the Lost, you might have seen some caged or gated areas. Within one of these spaces was an Ahamkara egg, gently nestled in what looked like some sort of nest. There is no concrete evidence, though. However, there is no other Ahamkara egg that can be seen in the whole of the Dreaming City.  

One theory of mine is that the universe Destiny exists in isn’t the original universe that the Traveler and the Winnower originate from. That the Worms, Ahamkara, and many of the creatures we have seen or heard about in Destiny originated from this first universe, and then the Gardener and Winnower wrestled that chaos, causing these creatures to flee into a new universe birthed by their fight. 

Thank you so much for sharin’ that lore love with us and nerding out a bit with the rest of the Destiny 2 community. It’s been a blast! Before we let you go, feel free to give a shoutout to anyone that you would like to see get a little spotlight action. Oh, and tell folks where they can find you and learn more about your work! 

Thank you so much! I just want to thank God for my supportive family Without them, there would be no Psalm Lab. I also want to shout out a few fellow lore masters like KazPhD, Iriska, Moonvald, and the Wild Hunt team. These incredible people have had my back in many ways during my time as a content creator. Dedicating this one to them. 

Also, I just want to say thank you to the whole Bungie team! And to you, Hippy, you are such a light, and I appreciate you a lot! 

As to where you can find me, you can see all of our lore findings over on YouTube, and you can find my personal musings on Twitter.  

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I don’t know about you all, but that just made me want to dive back into all of the lore to find any bits I may have missed! Another amazing Community Focus in the books, this time leaning more into the studious side of our wonderful community. Each week, we feature Guardians that prove what it means to be a Light in a world filled with Darkness. They are kind, fair, and unafraid to fight for what they feel is right while also unabashedly going into brave unknowns in order to truly find what brings them happiness. If you are still reading this at this point, I hope you do the same because you deserve it.  
Want even more Community Focus goodness? Be sure to mosey on over to last week’s spotlight with Legoleflash! 
As we close

out another week of Destiny 2 news, story updates, and Guardian love, we just want to remind you to make sure you’re drinking enough water, take care of your heart and soul, and always put your kindest foot forward. Until next time, friends.  
 
“I should go,” 
<3 Hippy