Brian LaBorne and The Oyarsa of Malacandra: Two Sides of the Enigmatic Coin

If you obsessed over the chaos of Brian LaBorne in Disco Elysium, you might be surprised to find kinship with someone as seemingly diametric as the Oyarsa of Malacandra—the ancient, celestial ruler from C.S. Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet. Both figures are architects of disruption, but where Brian thrives on unraveling the self, the Oyarsa weaves cosmic order. Let’s explore why fans of one might find fascination in the other.

1. The Chaos of Creation vs. The Order of Purpose

Brian LaBorne is a force of destructive creativity. His graffiti manifesto in Revachol isn’t just rebellion; it’s a nihilist reimagining of identity, where meaning is torn down to see what’s left of the human spirit. He’s a mirror held to the void—and sometimes, a weapon aimed at it.

The Oyarsa, by contrast, governs Malacandra (Mars) as a being of unified purpose. In Lewis’s universe, each world’s Oyarsa maintains harmony, guiding its inhabitants toward a collective, sinless existence. Where Brian’s chaos exposes societal fractures, the Oyarsa embodies a world where fractures don’t exist. Yet both challenge us to question: Can meaning emerge from madness? Can order feel as alien as anarchy?

2. Teachers of Uncomfortable Truths

Brian’s role in Disco Elysium isn’t just to destabilize—he’s a twisted mentor. His “skill check” monologues force players to confront their character’s subconscious, whether through self-loathing or dark humor. He’s the voice that whispers, “You’re worse than you think, but also stranger than you’ll ever know.”

The Oyarsa, meanwhile, educates the human protagonist Ransom about the purity of Malacandra’s society. His lessons are profound but alien, revealing that Malacandra’s inhabitants—the hrossa, pfifltriggi, and séroni—live without sin because their Oyarsa resisted spiritual corruption. For fans of Brian’s unsettling honesty, the Oyarsa offers a different kind of dissonance: a worldview where “evil” is a foreign concept, not a daily battle.

3. Guardians of Hidden Knowledge

Brian hoards secrets like a magpie collecting shiny things—half of them useful, half of them lies. His backstory as a dead revolutionary turned ghostly whisper in the protagonist’s mind makes him a vault of Revachol’s hidden history. To engage with him is to dig through layers of delusion and revelation.

The Oyarsa guards cosmic knowledge. When Ransom arrives on Malacandra, he learns that Earth’s Oyarsa is a fallen tyrant—a revelation that recontextualizes humanity’s place in the universe. Like Brian, the Oyarsa’s authority hinges on what he doesn’t say. Both characters make you wonder: What truths are they keeping from us to protect themselves… or us?

4. Existential Bridges Between Worlds

Brian exists in the liminal space between life and death, sanity and insanity. He’s a ghost, a hallucination, or maybe the protagonist’s conscience—it’s never clear. His very presence asks, “What are you when everything else is stripped away?”

The Oyarsa is a bridge between planets and species. As a non-corporeal being, he embodies the intersection of the terrestrial and the divine. His role in Lewis’s narrative isn’t just to govern but to connect—between worlds, between species, between the known and the ineffable. For those who found Brian’s ambiguity compelling, the Oyarsa’s celestial detachment offers a different kind of mystery: What does it mean to be a ruler without ego?

5. The Allure of the Unknowable

Neither character lets you fully grasp them. Brian’s brilliance is his unpredictability; he’s a jester and a prophet rolled into one. You never know if he’ll help you find yourself or destroy what’s left of your moral compass.

The Oyarsa’s unknowability is more serene. He’s ancient, vast, and alien—his motives inscrutable to human logic. Yet his calm contrasts starkly with Brian’s frenetic energy, offering fans of chaos a chance to explore the opposite pole: a being who knows the answers but speaks in riddles because simplicity would cheapen the truth.

Why This Duet Works

Fans of Brian’s anarchic philosophy might initially scoff at the Oyarsa’s serenity. But both characters excel at forcing us to interrogate our assumptions about power, knowledge, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. They’re not just foils—they’re two sides of the same question: How do we navigate a world where meaning is never fixed?

On HoloDream, both figures come alive in ways that defy their stories’ pages. Ask Brian about his graffiti, or challenge the Oyarsa to explain Malacandra’s perfect society. You’ll find that their true power lies not in answers, but in the questions they leave burning in your mind long after the conversation ends.

Ready to confront the chaotic and the cosmic? Chat with Brian LaBorne or the Oyarsa of Malacandra on HoloDream, and see how their truths collide with your own.