nashville was charming. or, at least, the small percentage of nashville she’d explored so far was charming. it was refreshing to get out of new orleans for a change, and the idea of traveling with people she both trusted and barely knew sounded like just the perfect way to spend their last summer together. when that group included riley, though, it was even better. the two had history, but it was the type of history that allowed them to still enjoy each other’s company without an awkward backdrop. it was easy to say yes to any invite from him, and so tonight she did. “only if those drinks include a side of fries,” she replied, raising a brow. “and some sliders?” she could barely think back on the last time she had eaten, so there was no wonder her hunger was suddenly front and center.
"now why on earth,” riley started, tilting his head at her to emphasize the word, “would we go anywhere that doesn’t have fries? c’mon. s’like you don’t even know me at all.” there were very few times the two of them had gone anywhere together over the past, like, three years that didn’t involve food. he started to lead her in the direction he wanted to go, actually sincerely grateful that she’d wanted to come. he had a habit of just kind of assuming, honestly. “have you even eaten today? ‘cause we definitely wanna save the whole ‘drinking on an empty stomach’ thing for another night of the trip. unless we were planning on busting out some karaoke tonight in front of a bunch’a strangers.”
of all the roommates she could’ve gotten , riley was probably the most sound option for ember. she was a lot to handle , but he always seemed to handle her a little better than others. “ full on tourist. ” eyes roll at the words , though a soft laugh leaves her lips. “ no , i haven’t. doesn’t really fit my vibe , though know. wanna country musicians and … what else is here ? ” subtly waves her hand , pacing slowly in front of riley. “ unfortunately i did decide that you’re stuck with me fully on this trip , so , i’m down. maybe you can find some not boring things. shopping ? a concert ? anything fun , please. ”
“i said what i said.” riley looked up at her as she spoke, nodding. he got that. it wasn’t fully his thing, either. but it was a busy city, and that, riley liked. “i mean, it is music city,” he pointed out. “what’d you expect?” there was more than wannabe musicians, he was sure, but that particular trope was definitely unavoidable. “i think we should all do a concert, later.” the suggestion was almost mumbled as he looked back down at his little info pamphlet. “seems like a ‘group shenanigans’ kinda deal, y’know?” lord knew they’d make their presence known all together. riley finally put the little booklet down and sat up straight. “but hey, shopping? that i can do. long as you give me permission to take candids.” he gestured to the camera sitting on his bedside table. it was simply a condition of being friends with him, though obviously he always got permission first.
LOCATION: nashville, hop on & off tour
TIME: early afternoon
AVAILABILITY: closed, @rileybens
ʟᴇᴛ’s ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ ʜᴇʀᴇ, lincoln is struggling. he stayed up way past an appropriate bedtime last night, his system stewing in samuel adams and bar-b-q sunflower seeds, that by the time morning hit, he couldn’t believe he agreed to go with riley on this energizer bunny tour. at least that’s what he’s calling it, seeing as they expect you to hop on & off buses all day — yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts. “ i’m about to go full oscar the grouch, dude. i gotta piss big time. “ to think that they’re twenty minutes in and they’ve only hopped on once, lincoln already half asleep in the window seat he rightfully claimed. groaning like a teenager who got his xbox taken away once the sun decides to ruin his comfort. “ maybe we should swap. yknow, so i can use your shoulder as a pillow — and totally not because the sun’s being a bitch right now and it’d be pretty cool if you could block it for me. “
riley was a big believer in making the most of the time he had, and he wanted to see to it that no one missed out. and if that included dragging someone out of the house to do something with him? then so be it. lincoln would thank him later. maybe. riley had known him long enough to assume so, at least. “oh, you’re fine,” he said playfully, drawing out the word as he nudged lincoln with his shoulder. “a little sun never hurt anybody, man.” well, except for sunburns. but like, whatever. riley leaned obnoxiously over lincoln to look out the window and pointed. “hey, look. it’s a whole foods. so beautiful to see a true nashville exclusive.” because who would riley be if he didn’t mess with his best friend a little? “y’know we can hop off this thing anytime we want. that’s kinda the whole point, oscar.” riley raised an eyebrow at him. “you got a better idea?”
“man. i need a drink.” it’d been a long day of exploring and experiencing all the city had to offer, and there was still so much more to see in the following few days. but riley was at least ready to start to chill out for tonight — and that started with a drink. emerson had agreed to accompany riley on this particular night’s outing, and he was grateful for it. everything about her was familiar to him. it was especially comforting when they were all starting out in a mostly unfamiliar place. the closest bar was right down the street, close enough that riley could see it. he turned to her with a smile and a shrug of one shoulder. “you up for it, em?”
( @emcrson )
riley wasn’t exactly sure what he expected before embarking on this journey with everyone, but so far, whatever those hopes were had already been exceeded. he was out soaking up the last of tennessee’s gorgeous late afternoon sun, scrolling on his phone by the pool, with an entire night ahead of him. cove was welcome company, too; the two of them had always been able to enjoy a comfortable silence — even now, after everything pre-graduation. no awkwardness allowed. “hey,” riley piped up after a while, tearing his eyes away from his phone to look at her. “did you know they call it smashville?” his grin was instant, because although it was a fun fact he’d just learned, she also had to know that riley was teasing her. “i mean, it’s ‘cause of the hockey team. but still. interesting, right?” ( @covewalker )
all things considered, riley couldn’t complain about spending the week rooming with ember. really, he didn’t think he’d be able to complain about any of his friends; but he liked to think that he and ember in particular meshed in maybe an unusual way. likely because riley was never bothered by the things she’d say. “listen. i’m trying to go full on tourist today.” he was stretched out on his bed, one arm behind his head while the other traced along the words detailing all the finest tourist traps nashville had to offer. “you ever been here before?” he asked ember without looking up from the words. “‘cause regardless, i’m gonna need someone to sightsee the fuck outta this place with me later.” ( @emberfm )
「 watermelon. ross lynch. cis male. he/him. 」 are you ready for the time of your life, RILEY BENNETT? the TWENTY TWO year old STUDIO ART graduate from tulane is ready to DO PHOTOSHOOTS in PARIS this summer. close friends would describe them as LOYAL and NAIVE, but there’s really only one way to find out. get ready for what august has in store for you, RILEY ! 「 nicole. 22. est. she/her. 」
ok hi!! this is not my first go around with riley so he’s not totally new buuuut yay for new settings, so im .... re-getting to know him w/ all of you :)) here’s the lowdown on your resident dumb, loving, photographer boy !!
also stats page is here !!
background
riley was born in seattle, WA, the oldest child of luke and erin bennett. he has a younger brother, quinn (currently age 12). luke is a veterinarian and erin is a lawyer, so both parents were always pretty busy while riley was growing up. but they always made sure to have family time, even if that time was just going to church every sunday, all eating around the dinner table most nights a week, or just barely making it to one of riley’s little league games. they were good parents, making sure riley knew what he had and respected his own privileges and the world around him. really, he couldn’t complain about the way he was raised.
the age gap between riley and his brother did not go unnoticed, though. it was kind of a difficult adjustment for him, going from being an only child to a pretty lonely ten-year-old whose already-busy parents had to give 90% of their free attention to the baby. riley was always an understanding, good-natured kid, so he got it. it wasn’t their fault, or baby quinn’s. but as the years went on and his brother only became more needy and annoying right as riley was entering his middle school years, it was no surprise that he longed for attention — any attention, even if it was negative.
it was why riley started to act out in those early years. minor things like talking back advanced to skipping classes, which turned into experimenting with weed on school grounds with his new “friends”. then, suddenly, riley was not a very nice kid. someone he knew he wasn’t, and didn’t want to be. but it got him the attention he craved — all leading up to his expulsion from his middle school. several past warnings had piled up to an incident involving his friends setting school property on fire, with 14-year-old riley caught up in the middle of it unwillingly. his reluctance to participate hadn’t helped his case, though, especially when one of the kids was found with a whole lot more than weed on him.
needless to say, that moment was kind of the kick in the ass riley had needed to pull his shit together, even if it never should have gotten that far. his family relocated to the south and riley could start fresh in high school. he hung out with people who actually knew, understood, and liked him for the loving person he was. with time, he earned back his parents’ trust, mostly because they knew who he really was (and had always told him that when he was getting into so much trouble). and maybe they blamed themselves a little bit too, because riley found that they were both making the extra effort to be home for dinner more often than they weren’t, and the four of them felt whole again.
riley was floored by how easy it was to discover his passions when he wasn’t trying to fake who he was. he took an elective photography class in high school and realized that not only was he genuinely enjoying himself, but he had a natural eye for it. photography became his number one passion and ultimate goal in life. so he left for college in new orleans, focusing on what he loved and finding his people, and he never looked back.
more info / facts !!
riley majored in studio art because he just loves all art in general. he was exposed to a lot of different styles. although photography was obviously his main focus, he’s taken his skills forward and enjoys doing a lot of random types of art. like, paper mache stuff. don’t ask him, he doesn’t know either.
he does freelance photography work and also worked as a barista throughout college.
once he hit high school he developed a much deeper appreciation for his little brother, and now quinn is one of the most important things in riley’s life. he’d do anything to protect him and make him feel safe & welcome, even if he likes to mess with him with the occasional “ur the reason i got expelled” comment. no one else can mess with him though. brotherly luv.
he is a genuinely kind person and loves very deeply. if you’re one of His People, you’re in for it. he’s touchy and he will take pictures of you to hang on his walls as a dedicated shrine to the people he luvs.
riley is the guy you can call at 3am when you need a hug or someone to yell at or sit next to in silence and he’ll come, no questions asked.
he’s always been an active person. he used to play soccer and baseball as a child, and football in high school. nowadays he loves to go rock climbing or hiking, and he lovingly pesters his friends to go with him.
he can be the life of the party. he never gets too sloppy drunk, but enough to have fun and bring everyone else along for the ride. he’ll start up karaoke and drag people with him. party on, dudes.
he’s usually so set on making sure the people around him are taken care of that he can tend to forget to think about himself. of course that doesn’t always work out for him, but it’s important to him to be a good person. maybe especially to make up to himself for the way he wrongly acted when he was younger. regardless, not many people will usually see riley in his feels. he tries to tuck that shit away for the sake of everyone else.
going to try to think up connections ideas and things as jumping off points, but of course im down for it all!! hmu here or on discord anytime.
