Ben prefers to not speak due to an incident from when he was in 6th or 7th grade, and this remains in his character throughout the comic. He opts to write in his journal, send text messages, or have his phone to type what he wants to say aloud. Ben used to have an interest in singing, but had his vocal cords permanently damaged by bullies in school. The incident led him down a spiral of getting into street fights, neglecting school, and frequent mood swings. After finding out that he had anger issues and having messed with the wrong kid and caused a gang to burn his house down, he started living with Aiden and his parents. He began therapy soon thereafter and is currently shown to be level-headed in most situations. After injuring his voice, Ben struggled and continues to struggle with his sense of self and is often shown to differ to Aiden, going along with whatever he decides.
Doesn’t speak, has to write stuff down on a notebook, paper, or phone
To survive and get his vocal cords back
