“Oggi” Ogburne's Questionnaire

After the incident I live with my grandma in Cardiff, Wales. It’s quite good, I like the relative peace and quiet. It’s a two storey house with a garage, my favourite place to be. That garage is where I really live. I’ve literally spent bloody nights sleeping there from working overnight, the smell of oil is my bread and butter. I do have an actual room in the house, which I decorate with records and cool shit I stole. I have a collection of road signs that I took from the government.

Growing up in Wales is alright I guess. I like the town I’m in enough, though I see the occasional things that make my blood boil. There’s some asshole neighbours around.

I gots a little repair service set up, mostly do work around the neighbourhood. I also have an allowance from my grandma. The money is for more materials I can build with, unfortunately making my gizmos aren’t cheap. I like what I do, it feels like the best way I can help my community. Also cuz it’s a job I actually like.

’Sides more mechanics, I spend my cash on concerts, movies and supporting indie artists. I put a bit into savings because god fucking knows the economy is horrible. I hate how capitalism makes jobs all soul-sucking and pointless and that no amount of labor is gonna fucking free the working class. The people up there are fucking leeches.

2 months ago, my parents were attacked by cops. All they were doing was trying to get home after a night out, some pigs saw them as a target and constructed some bullshit reason to openly assault them. Not that there were other witnesses, which just made it so convenient for them to LIE and… Makes me sick talking about it… I just don’t understand how they could be so heartless to- Shite, they’re motherfucking cops mate. This ain’t anything new. It became just another case of police having it out for people of colour, framing them for nonexistent crimes. Swept under the rug. I wasn’t gonna fucking let that happen. So I did something that the public wouldn’t so easily forget. 

Everywhere I go I see signs of society’s decay. And I know the ones to blame. They’re on my fucking list, and I won’t rest easy until justice comes and we stop living in this blasted oppressive society. How are people so blind to the same fucking patterns in history? No, fuck this man, the revolution is coming. 

Look, killing is a touchy subject. I believe in redemption. But y’know, the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. Some people just fucking deserve to die for the wheels of change. I’d still only kill someone if they were as bad as like, literal cruddy Hitler. 

Finally, I ain’t a coward. I’m down to die for the cause. We have nothing to lose but our chains.

I built a bomb in my basement.

It was pretty easily, actually. Always been a natural at all shit engineering. The hard part was planting it without getting caught. Which I did get caught, in the end. Got to yell at a fuckton of coppers while I was being detained. That was fun. See up close how deep their corruption went.

I’ve had so much rage in me ever since the incident. I want change and I want it now. I was impatient to be so hasty, to do something so… what’s a word. Reactionary. That’s right, i’m a fucking reactionary. 

You want me to recount that night? I just bought a face mask and a plain black hoodie, strolled up to the station and left a little present on the front steps. Started graffitiing a message, make something the news wouldn’t forget. In the dead of night, BOOM. 

They caught my bloody DNA on the scene. Frankly I was pissed, and wasn’t trying to pull off a perfect crime. I just had to do SOMETHING. My parents were free but they were traumatised from the event. Sure, it was a split second decision of fuckton proportions of pettiness, but FUCK. THE. POLICE.

I live with my grandma. She’s been taking care of me. I love her, I do, but she can be a tad overbearing. Makes perfect gumbo, though. It’s an Ogburne family special. Before I moved in with her, we used to visit her semi-frequently, mostly during the holidays though. I was quite young and didn’t have much to say, but she always called me a cute kid. She thought my engineering hobby was adorable. Now she thinks it’s a very useful skill considering I get to do all the repairs round the house now. For free! I don’t mind it, I like helping her out and making her life easier. 

My mom was the one who got me into engineering. She owned a car repair shop back in the day, but it’s been shut down for a bit. I ended up learning a lot more than her, there’s nothing more for her to teach me about mechanics. Me growing up with the internet helps. She’s taught me things more important than numbers and facts, though. Like how to be a decent fucken person.

I’m closest with my pal Terri, they’re my best friend for life. I have a great relationship with my parents and all, but there’s some things that I need to talk to a guy my age about. Terri knows all my secrets (mostly the amount of crimes and vandalism we’ve both committed together). We’ve been bloody inseparable ever since first year when we played a banger game of Jenga during recess. The friendship runs deeper than that, of course. But it’s just what brought us together and got us yapping about a common topic: How we don’t take any bullshit. Totally bloody platonic, but they’re like the fuel to my flame- YES that’s platonic fuck the societal views of romance. I can love my friend! Take that!

Growing up in Wales it was pretty obvious that we, as a black family, occasionally stood out. It’s what’s made me pretty socially aware. I’m lucky to have a good family though. Feels like some sitcom shit sometimes with how we all make up nice and good and how for the most part our relationship stays the same. I mean alright. The recent incident has made things rocky, but that’s not relevant. I’ve got a pretty big family but my childhood has been focused on my ma and pa. Raised me to be a nice functional contributing member of society. Encouraged my leftist views. I was a chuffed kid.

School was okay. I didn’t give a shit about the popularity contests and my short temper meant the teachers haaaaated me. But fuck them too you know? The bad ones, anyway. I appreciate the ones that actually treated me like a fucking person.

Nah. Not in the way you’re suggesting, at least. I’ve got a few celebrity crushes if that counts. Not that I want to share those. It’s kinda embarrassing. (Winona Ryder save me)

Look, I may spend more time with robots than people, but I’ve just never had a crush on anyone. When my schoolmates would bicker about that kinda shit, I’d roll my eyes. The way some people talked about it… utter tosh. Shit looks fun in movies, I guess. I’m actually bit of a fan of rom-coms. Just never met ‘the one’, or really believe in fate like that. 

Loving my friends and loving my family and loving my community is more important to me.