Shadow and Lady Boner

I love Vocal Challenges.

Challenges get my mind racing and my creative juices flowing. The prompts are wide-ranging and thought-provoking, and they encourage me to express myself in a way that I enjoy and feel proud of. They keep me writing.

I joined this community two months ago, which means I've seen a good 10-15 Challenges come and go. No wins yet, but I've noticed my writing improving and my content expanding. Participating in these contests has diversified my portfolio and led me to write pieces I never would have come up with otherwise.

Vocal started holding these competitions over a year ago, which means that there are dozens of prompts I've never seen or answered. These old Challenges are great for overcoming writer's block and brainstorming new story ideas.

Searching for inspiration this week, I stumbled upon one that took place six months before I joined Vocal: The OG Celebrity Crush Challenge. This prompt asked the question: Who was your first-ever celebrity crush?

With the recent release of the highly anticipated Netflix series Shadow and Bone, it feels like a good time to answer this question.

Ben. F**king. Barnes.

I first became aware of this beautiful man's existence in 2008, when he starred as the leading role in the second Chronicles of Narnia film. It was the hair and accent that did it for me. "I am Prince Caspian." Wow.

And that smile. What a babe.

It was love, I tell you. Real, true love.

My 15-year-old self was completely smitten with the 27 -year-old Barnes. I literally used to run up and kiss the TV when this man was on it. It turns out that his Shadow and Bone castmate Jessie Mei Li was also a fan, with the actress revealing during a recent interview that she had a Prince Caspian poster on her bedroom wall when she was younger.

And now she's kissed him. Teenage me would die.

I confess, though, that my love was fickle. After that life-changing film and whirlwind high school romance, Ben and I went our separate ways, and until I watched Westworld last year, Narnia was still the only thing I'd ever seen him in.

I know, I know. I wasn't exactly loyal. But he ignored me for the duration of our relationship, so who was really the problem?

Eventually I moved on and fell in love with a rapper from Detroit, and I've since given my heart to a singer named Taylor Swift. She and I have had our ups and downs, but I think we're in it for the long haul now.

But this past year, my timeline has been flooded with images of my first husband. Now I've got memes popping up about how good of a kisser he is in the show, and I'm just like... I know. I've felt those lips through a screen before. Welcome to the Ben Barnes experience, first-timers.

I still haven't watched Shadow and Bone. I want to read the books first, and I'm busy coming up with amazing titles for my Vocal stories at the moment. But since the release of the show's first season, I've watched the Internet go wild for Ben Barnes, and boy, has it brought me back. Somehow, he's nostalgic and new at the same time.

I'm not alone in my adoration. Over the years, Ben has left his mark on horny people around the world, and this new series is sure to attract more fans. Looks and talent? The man is irresistible.

As is the case with all of my exes, my feelings for my first celebrity love have diminished over time. I've changed, and I don't want the same things now that I did back then.

But when it comes to Ben, there will always be that spark. Our love is pure. Unconditional. Transcendent. We were made for each other.

And he just keeps getting hotter.

I may not have won this Challenge, but in a way, we've all won, because-