[Areater]

a brightly painted sign hangs above the entrance to the corn maze. betsy, a young black and white splotched heifer with a sunny disposition, is sitting proudly beneath it as other buttermilks begin to approach.

"oh wow, hi, y’all!” betsy greeted the buttermilks that had crowded around the entrance to her maze. “it’s really rather simple, i guess,” she started. “just head into the maze and figure out how to get out, haha. it’s really not too hard - if you participate, you should make it out just fine! there’s not just one way out. i might have to help some of y’all out, though,” she chuckled. “anyway, yeah, just go left, right, or straight at each junction, and most importantly,” she leaned forward for emphasis. “have fun!” with a swish of her tail, she proudly headed into the maze. was she...going to wander around too? odd.

• for every day, pick a direction and write at least 200 words describing your buttermilk making that decision/relating to their decision! you can also choose to do art instead, in which case it should at least be colored and lined (doesn’t have to be perfect lines, just more than an uncolored sketch <3)
• don't worry too much about which direction to pick - in most cases, each path will yield the same amount of sunflower seeds each day (4-8 seeds)! just pick whichever prompt you'd like to answer/whichever path you think your buttermilk would pick/etc.
• please stick to one buttermilk for this booth! it’s perfectly fine to mention other buttermilks, or even use two buttermilks “working together” if you’d like, but please don’t switch around buttermilks between days!
• you don’t have to participate every day, but it’s highly encouraged! you can still participate if you miss a day/multiple days though <3
• the first day will start at cs rollover! however, rollover is usually at 10:30 am central time every day! i'll do my best to update the day as quickly as possible. i may accept prompts that are a little late as long as the day in the title wasn't updated yet and i haven't posted the next prompt!

form --


Code: Select all

[list]username --
buttermilk w/ link --
day --
choice --
prompt (200 words min.) --[/list]




ex. of filled out form:
username -- areater
buttermilk w/ link -- holly
day -- one
choice -- left
prompt (200 words min.) -- holly glanced both ways and decided to head left. she knew she should probably follow betsy, for friendliness’ sake, but they weren’t that close, and she didn’t see the point of getting a tour of the maze - she wanted to find her way out on her own! she didn’t like her herd much, anyway. she’d much rather interact with other buttermilks - they were far more interesting to her. the right path seemed a little boring, albeit a good decision, and she briefly considered it for a moment, but something about the left path excited her! as she paraded over thorns and fallen corn, she started to wonder if she should turn back. it was getting darker the further she went in - the corn was growing so high it blocked the sun! just as she was starting to get too nervous, she took a deep breath and remembered the flower she’d tucked in her collar. the herd gods were surely protecting her from any possible danger, right? besides, it was just a corn maze - nothing bad could happen besides getting a little lost, right? betsy was maybe a teensy bit scatterbrained, sometimes, but she wouldn't design a dangerous corn maze. with a determined huff, she pressed on, until she finally reached the next intersection. phew! (218 words)

[Areater]

today's prompt:
Left - It’s the last day! Did your buttermilk enjoy their time at the market?
Straight - It’s the last day! Did your buttermilk enjoy their time at the market?
Right - It’s the last day! Did your buttermilk enjoy their time at the market?



day one --
Left - It’s really dark over there...why is the corn so overgrown? Is that even a path? Only a brave buttermilk would head that way.
Straight - Betsy went that way! If your buttermilk is more of a follower, maybe they’ll choose this path.
Right - This path seems pretty safe, but Betsy didn’t go that way! A more independent buttermilk might like this.
day two --
Left - There’s lots of fresh, ripe corn growing along this path. Maybe it’s time for a snack - what kind of food does your buttermilk like and why?
Straight - You see litter scattered across this path. How rude! Is your buttermilk the type to help clean up someone else’s mess, literally or figuratively?
Right - Betsy’s over in this area! She wants to hear stories to pass the time. Can you help - do you have any exciting stories about yourself?
day three --
Left - Thunderclouds are rolling into the sky. The corn seems higher on the left - is that better, because it’ll provide cover from the rain and wind, or more dangerous, because lightning may strike? How does your buttermilk feel about thunderstorms?
Straight - Would you look at that - Betsy is handing out umbrellas up ahead! Why doesn’t your buttermilk like getting wet?
Right - The clouds above this path almost seem lighter, and the wind isn’t blowing as hard...is that possible? Does your buttermilk believe in miracles?
day four --
Left - Autumn, one of Betsy’s herdmates, is asleep in the middle of this path. Do you risk disturbing her nap? What is your buttermilk’s opinion on laziness?
Straight - Woah, there’s Betsy again! It almost seems like she’s teleporting, haha. I guess she just knows the maze really well. She asks you about your barn - who are your friends? Do y’all have any interesting herd traditions?
Right - There’s some flowers growing among the corn on this path. Does your buttermilk have a favorite flower? What is it, and why?
day five --
Left - This path seems pretty plain. Wow, it’s rather hot out here - how does your buttermilk feel about the weather? What kind of weather do they tend to enjoy?
Straight - This path seems plain, too. It seems pretty short, though. Does your buttermilk like to take the easy way in life, or live by challenges?
Right - There’s lots of bugs flying around in this path! How does your buttermilk feel about creatures besides other buttermilks?
day six --
Left - This path has been run over by a tractor! Oh no! I wonder if it could be fixed...it’ll probably be time consuming. Has your buttermilk ever faced a big task?
Straight - There’s Betsy again! She seems upset that part of the maze got messed up. Is your buttermilk up for the task of comforting her?
Right - This path is pretty simple - it’s easy for your mind to wander on this one. The market is almost closed for the year! Is there anything your buttermilk/herd want(s) to do before it’s finished?
day seven --
Left - It’s the last day! Did your buttermilk enjoy their time at the market?
Straight - It’s the last day! Did your buttermilk enjoy their time at the market?
Right - It’s the last day! Did your buttermilk enjoy their time at the market?

[BiscuitTheDog]

username -- BiscuitTheDog
buttermilk w/ link -- Carmie
day -- 1/one
choice -- right
prompt --
The brown cow looked to the right and left paths, and then straight ahead to where Betsy had disappeared. Carmie's first instinct was to follow the black and white heifer, but she stopped after taking a step forward. She dug the toes of her front hooves into the dirt ground, pondering. What if Betsy was in-fact steering her wrong, making her think that she was going in the right direction? As much as Carmie trusted the heifer (not really), she decided to go on her own path. She turned to the left. The gloomy, dark path was strewn with torn stalks and the earth was a bit churned, as if a horse had been running and kicking up dirt as it ran. It was too battered for Carmie's taste. Betsy had told her that only brave bovine traversed that path, but Carmie did not consider herself brave. Not at all. With a gulp, Carmie turned to the brighter, more friendly path and started trotting along it. She admired the occasional bird that fluttered near her. She apologized to the beetles that sometimes got to close to Carmie's feet. She stared at the shimmering golden corn at the end of the stalks.
Carmie had just muttered a quick sorry to the fifth almost stepped-on beetle when she heard a crunch from behind her.
She turned her head. She noticed some of the corn stalks swishing aside as a figure wooshed into them. The heifer's stomach twisted. The ground Carmie had been trotting on before she got to her current spot was churned, and stray corn stalks lay strewn across the ground. Carmie gulped.
She turned back around and started trotting again, but a little faster this time. She tried to ignore the rustle that could be heard from the stalks behind her. Carmie found her hooves travelling faster over the soil.
Suddenly, there was a loud snap! from behind her. The sound of a stalk breaking. She bit down her urge to yelp and look back, and instead she ran faster.
After a good two minutes of running, the heifer stopped. She'd reached an intersection. The corn stalks loomed over her. Carmie looked back- The ground wasn't messed up. Carmie did not know how to feel. Her brain felt oddly fuzzy. She turned her head and looked straight before flopping onto the ground to take a little rest.
(397 words)

[chanhee.]

username -- besieged
buttermilk w/ link -- nova
day -- one / 1
choice -- left
prompt [208/200] -- as soon as they were allowed, nova was off on her own. she wasn't one for following and she sure as hell wasn't one for grouping up, so the fewer the people, the more likely she was going to go that way. it appeared that the left was going to be her first shift in direction, as the people around her seemed to not be as keen as she was to go diving into the darkness. as others murmured about what could lie down that path, she puffed her chest out, stood tall, and made her way into the shadows and corn stalks, immediately regretting her choice as she was battered with husks with every step. a few choice words fell from her lips as she kept on, but she could hear behind her that she wasn't the only one who made a bad decision. not wanting to stick around to chat with the other idiots, she continued forward, picking up speed and very quickly becoming accustomed to the scratch of corn husks over her leather boots and tough skin, which was covered in goosebumps from the cold. looking around herself, she could tell this was going to be a long and painful night, but she was prepared.

[yeena]

username -- ceance

buttermilk w/ link -- Frisco
day -- One
choice -- Left
prompt (200 words min.) -- Frisco felt his nostrils flare in some kind of amusement as such a childish game. It had been years since he had decided to partake in any kind of event, even more since he had gone through a maze. He had never been through a corn maze, honestly, but his curiosity had been peaked when he noticed the young woman advertising her maze to the a crowd that must have been as curious as him. He nodded along to everything she was saying, all the way up until the point she decided to vanish into the maze herself. While Frisco thought of it as odd for her to participate in her own event, he shrugged his shoulders simply.
Stepping up to the start of the maze, he tilted his head questionably at the two paths in front of him. They were all cleared and easily visible- wait, was that a path there too? His eyes narrowed as he focused on a, thin, yet still obviously existing path. It was overgrown with corn stalks casting dark shadows on it, hiding the path from an obvious view. He felt clever enough finding the path and after watching other people flock down the two obvious paths, he headed towards the overgrown trail. Frisco felt a bit rebellious going down the path that was less traveled, a happy smile gracing his features while he started to push corn stalks out of his way. He truly wasn't as brave as he was dumb and curious. [250W]

[honeybunchesofoats]

username -- honeybunchesofoats
buttermilk w/ link -- Alberon
day -- 1
choice -- right
prompt (200 words min.) --

Alberon stopped abruptly after entering the maze, looking each way about a dozen times. The path on the left definitely set her on edge. She started to move straight ahead, seeing most of the other cows choosing this direction. She scoffed a bit as this made her want to go a different route. She then looked to the right. This was a safe path for sure but she realized nobody had wandered down it yet. "I bet this leads right to the exit.", she muttered to herself, holding her head tall. Most of her life, Alberon had been one to follow others, keeping her thoughts to herself and being unsure of what she wanted. However, she didn't want that for herself anymore. This feeling of being stuck and compliant was behind her. She walked further, but stopped once again, turning back to peer down the dark left road and laughed. What a metaphor...leaving her old self behind her in search of a new and independent Alberon. She smiled and began to wander down the foot way she had chosen, the fresh breath in her lungs reminding her that the person she's wanted to become was a part of her all along. [201 words]

[Ravendarus]

username --
buttermilk w/ link -- Marshmellow
day -- 1
choice -- Straight
prompt (200 words min.) -- Marshmellow blinked a bit when everyone took off, she looked around curiously and pinned her ears back as she swallowed softly, "O-Okay! Wait for me!" She gasped as she trailed after everyone. Truthfully it was her first corn maze and she was a little nervous about being alone so she tried to stick with the group as much as possible, she was shocked to see some going down the darker more... scary looking off beaten trail, while others decided to go down the much more safer path, it seemed safe enough and didn't look like it would be very hard. Honestly she was tempted to go right away but decided against it, perhaps next time she would take a different path but for now she was content following Betsy after all she seemed to know her way around and it was something she was nervous about. Betsy seemed like a nice heifer so she decided it would be best just to follow her for now. She followed down the straight path, softly making her way behind the other cows, excited but also a little unsure of what was at the end of the maze but she was hoping to have a good time none the less.

[ptarmigan]

username -- ptarmigan
buttermilk w/ link -- buona
day -- 1
choice -- left
prompt (200 words min.) --
buona shuffled her hooves impatiently as the heifer began explaining the maze - did a maze really need explaining? - her thoughts were rude, she knew this, but a corn maze was one of her favorite activities to do and she was ready to jump right in. the words junction, left, right, and center caught her ears but buona was already peering behind the heifer's horns, stepping on her tippy toes, and squinting to try to get a better look. truth be told, she was barely listening. by the time the black and white cow finished - betsy, was it? - the dark colored cow looked like she might burst from excitement (and impatience). she bustled past the several other buttermilks who had been listening in on the speech as politely as she could and then glanced at the 3 paths in front of her. first, she was absolutely not going to go the way betsy was. she didn't want to follow anyone, because she was far too stubborn to accept help in corn mazes (or any other aspect of her life). buona shrugged at the lighter, brighter path and immediately turned on her toes to head down the dark path. she felt comfort in the shadows because it reminded her of night and what other buttermilks saw as frightening, she saw only as intriguing. but that being said, was this overgrown, muddy path even a path for the maze? she hoped so, because her hips wagged all the way down the path and her tail swished happily as she hummed out a peaceful song of content.
[263 words]

[♔Voltaire♔]

username -- ♔Voltaire♔
buttermilk w/ link -- Fiona
day -- 1
choice -- Left
prompt (200 words min.) --

As Betsy heads through the corn, Fiona's eyes brighten, a fiery grin plastering itself across her face. Fiona has always lived for adventure, her dare-devil attributes attracted to the thrill of danger and exploration like an inescapable siren song. The call of the overgrown path was too hard to ignore, and Fiona didn't think twice about her decision, huffing a few times in order to pump herself up before pushing deftly through the overgrown stalks of corn and weaving her way around half broken stalks. As she makes her arduous trek through the path least taken, she wonders to herself what she will find, what she will experience and discover. The adrenaline in her bloodstream begins to spike, a short burst of epinephrine-charged laughter escaping her lips, along with a few sneezes as dust and bits of cornstalks enter her nostrils. Fiona has always been one for challenges, taking them in stride and working her absolute hardest to persevere despite whatever obstacles lay in her way, even if they messed with her allergies big time. The path least taken is not only the path most difficult and tumultuous, but it is also the most rewarding; she believes, and she just knows that something must be waiting for her at the end. (211 words)

[BadgerBuddies]

username -- BadgerBuddies
buttermilk w/ link -- Sherbet
day -- 1
choice -- Straight
prompt (200 words min.) --
Sherbet neared the entrance of the corn maze, excited for the adventure that was about to ensue. Oh what fun it would be! And this was one heifer that loved to have lots of simple fun. Sherbet watched the heifer in charge of the corn maze slip off down one of the paths, and before Sherbet could even chat with her! How disappointing.

Sherbet quickly studied the three paths in front of her. To her left, a darker, seemingly more narrow path. She shivered, chills running up and down her spine. That path didn’t look terribly inviting. To her right, well, it just seems like a normal path. No bells and whistles, nothing special the soft heifer could see. Her attention then shifted toward the center path, where Betsy had disappeared into.

Sherbet shrugged, and figured that she would follow Betsy. Not only does she know the best way to get out of this maze, if Sherbet walked quickly enough, she’d be able to catch up and have a nice chat with Betsy as they wandering around the corn maze. The sociable heifer kicked up her feet and began plowing down the path straight ahead of her as fast as she could.

(202)