#sunnyscramble

Sunny Rays doesn’t just love gardening, she also loves baking! And whenever she’s busy baking sweets for a tea party or just for something to munch on after a long day, she always tunes into Radio KBOX in the kitchen.

☀️📻

Hi, my name is Sunny Rays! I'm one of the... newer games in the Crashbox computer.

Oh? What do I teach, you ask? Well... in my game, I teach kids about plants and flowers, by taking them into my garden and asking them to guess which flower or plant I'm thinking of based on 5 clues I give. These clues are in the form of plants that I have to water in order to reveal (clues are revealed when they bloom). And then, at the end, I finally water and reveal the plant or flower I was thinking of!

I usually start off with something like "There was a very specific plant I wanted to add to my garden today. But... goodness, I just can't remember what it was. Ooh! Maybe you can help me figure out what it was!"

It's actually not that bad here. All of the other game hosts are so sweet (except the Revolting Slob and Captain Bones, that is). I'm very close friends with Dora Smarmy from Distraction News. Yeah, she's kinda my ride or die :) Same with Eddie Bull, he's pretty goofy. I do remember him visiting me at my garden for a tea party, and he told me lots of interesting animal facts, and I returned the favor by telling him some flower facts.

"Oh, did you know possums like to eat roses? Gee, I sure hope none come around here. Sheesh!" He said.

He looked around. "Your flowers are very pretty, by the way. I really wish I had stuff like this back in the zoo."

"Maybe I could help you plant some there." I offered. "Might help the place stand out more."

Then, Eddie gasped. "Sunny, you're a genius!" he laughed, shaking my hand from across the table. "Golly, I'm sure glad I have a friend like you. You sure know your stuff about plants!"

We... didn't exactly get to that point (yet). We've both been so busy in our own game segments lately.

There is another host that comes by more often than Eddie does. And... I think I might see him as more than just a friend. And I think he might feel the same for me.

Jumpin' Johnnie Jumble from Radio Scramble.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Sunny, you must be a really lucky gal to manage to pull a guy like him! How did you do it??

Well, the truth is... I'm not sure. I just noticed how often he kept dropping by my garden and even showing up at my front door if I was inside my house doing something other than gardening. So... I decided to be brave and talk to him. So now we're dating. Hehe!

Ok, how about I talk about the day we first met?

First encounter...

I was in my garden watering my bed of purple and red pansies with my garden hose, humming to myself happily. But apparently I must've forgot to clean up this morning, because when I backed up a little bit to give my pretty pink petunias some water too, I felt my little feet catch on a terracotta pot (specifically the one I painted recently with the help of Sketch) and tripped over it.

"Whoopsie daisies!" I squeaked loudly.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact into an empty flower bed when I felt something catch me.

"H-Huh?"

I blinked my eyes open and looked up. I gasped and my cheeks turned rosy red when I saw a familiar microphone with blue hair and green shades looking down at me, winking. He leaned over the fence and was holding me up with both his hands under me.

"Whoa there, easy, sunshine! I'd hate to have a gorgeous ray of sunshine like you getting your dress dirty~!"

I blinked, then smiled, giggling. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, baby." He helped me up. Then, he moved to dust off his blazer and adjust his red neck tie with a chuckle.

"One sec..." I walked away to turn off my garden hose and put it back in my shed. I was just really scared to get water on him because of his... well, wires. I don't wanna hurt him.

I hurried back over to him, trying to recollect myself as I dusted off my apron with my hands. I definitely wasn't expecting that.

I nervously extended my hand towards him. "I-I'm Sunny," I softly introduced myself with a nervous smile. "Nice to meet you. You must be Johnnie."

Johnnie shook my hand with a chuckle. "Oh yeah! The one and only. Jumpin' Johnnie Jumble at your service. Don’t mind me, baby, just making my rounds. Really helps clear the brain when you’ve been mixing up your words all day, dig it? It’s always nice to get out once in a while, helps take off the extra pounds.”

He then gestured to my garden. “And this ol’ place? Heh, a real breath of fresh air. Real groovy.”

“Oh, thank you!” I giggled again, my cheeks turning even redder. “W-Wow, I don’t think anyone’s ever talked to me like this, not even Eddie. Oh my, you sure know how to talk to a lady, don’t you?”

Johnnie laughed, leaning against my white picket fence. “Well, baby, when you spend all day scrambling and unscrambling words like me, you learn a thing or two about breaking the ice~”

I’ve always been really shy. Until I met the other game hosts, that is. I sometimes like talking to my flowers whenever I’m lonely or bored. But Johnnie… he might actually be fixing that for me.

We stood there awkwardly, both of us giggling awkwardly.

“So…” Johnnie’s voice trailed off.

“Yeah.” I smiled, fixing one of my daisy earrings.

Then, Johnnie turned around on his heel and started walking away. “Welp, I should probably get back on air before the kiddos worry about me. Hasta pasta, baby!”

“Bye!” I waved.

I’m gonna be really honest, for the few minutes we talked… I didn’t want him to leave. But, then again, we have to teach the viewers at home. I need to teach kids about botany (study of plants).

That’s when I realized: his radio station was right across from my house. I stared at the red KBOX sign on the roof and the satellite tower next to it. It was always so cool seeing that building at night at the beginning and end of his segments. I should go visit him sometime. I don’t think he’d mind…

Then, Eddie came back.

“Holly-hoo there, Sunny!” He waved as he peeked over my fence. “Say, can I come in? You’re not too busy, are ya? It’s been a while!”

“Sure.” I walked over and unlocked my fence so he could come in.

The first thing he did was look around. “Wow! I sure like what you’ve done with the place. Nice and pretty, just like you!”

“Thanks.” I said, going back to watering my flowers. Then, I remembered something.

“Oh, I just remembered! You’re just in time. I was actually starting to bake some yummy chocolate chip cookies I wanted to split with you.”

“Cookies?” He beamed. “Don’t mind if I do! Lead the way, sunshine!”

I led him into my pink house through my back door. Just about everything in my house was floral and pink. I had a teapot and teacups with pink flowers on them, I had more smaller flower beds outside my windows, my curtains were floral, even my rug was shaped like a big fluffy white daisy.

Eddie practically floated towards the kitchen, his black nose twitching.

“Golly, Sunny! If the zoo always smelled like this, I’d never wanna leave! Would definitely explain why the animals keep eatin’ me.“ he joked, hopping onto one of my pink chairs and swinging his little feet eagerly.

I giggled, taking the warm tray of cookies from the oven and carefully putting them onto the cooling rack.

“You’re always welcome here, Eddie! But I need to ask you something. Are you… close with Johnnie at all?”

“Oh, Johnnie? Yeah, I sure am! We’re good buddies. That guy’s a real hoot! But of a fast-talker, though. Sometimes I have to ask him to repeat himself just to know if he’s saying ‘hello’ or ‘marshmallow’. Why?”

“Oh, no reason!” I said, pouring us both 2 glasses of milk. “He just… stopped by right before you got here. He seems pretty nice. Does he call everyone ‘baby’ or…?”

“Oh, yeah, he does.” Eddie nodded, drinking some of his milk. “Don’t worry, that’s what he calls the viewers all the time. I mean… it might be different with you, though. I thought I saw him peek into your garden the other day. He was there for almost an hour! I think he likes you~” he laughed.

“You… really think so?” I asked.

“Yep! I mean, c’mon, Sunny, why else would he be lookin’ for ya almost every day?”

I did a spit take of my milk when he said that. It went all over my clean green tablecloth. I felt butterflies in my stomach that had absolutely nothing to do with the ones fluttering around my milkweed outside.

“I-I just thought he liked the fresh air,” I stammered, wiping my mouth. “He said it helps clear his head when he’s been mixing up his words all day.”

Eddie let out a loud, jolly snort. “Oh, Sunny, lemme let you in on a lil somethin’: nothing, and I mean NOTHING clears that guy’s brain. Trust me, he’s comin’ around because he thinks you’re the prettiest flower in the whole garden. Which is funny, because you’re a sun! You must be real bright for him to keep comin’ back for seconds. Believe me, I know a rare specimen when I see one!”

I couldn’t help but giggle. Eddie always knew how to make me feel at my best. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the cookies and talking about the new mulch that I was planning on using, but I kept looking over my shoulder at the window.

Over at Radio KBOX.

I really wanted to thank him for saving my life earlier. But how…? Ooh, maybe I could ask him what his favorite flower is and then bring him a flower! But, then again, I really don’t wanna interrupt him in the middle of a commercial spot or one of his sports things where he acts as Billy Bull, or maybe walk in on him as April Showers. Or maybe I could just invite him over whenever he’s not on the air. That would probably… be the more ideal option.

Oh goodness, what do I do??

I got so distracted and flustered that I was watering my sunflowers in the center of the table with my teapot! Oh no! Good thing Eddie didn’t notice, he was too busy trying to balance a third cookie on his nose.

“Eddie?” I spoke up.

“Yes?” He stopped.

I hesitated for a second. “Do you… think it would be too much to… bring him something? I don’t want to be a bother, especially since he’s a radio scrambling DJ and I’m just… well, a gardener.”

Eddie swallowed his cookie in one big gulp. “Don’t worry, Sunny! I’m sure you won’t be botherin’ him by any means. I’m sure he’d love a visitor who doesn’t require him to unscramble ‘P-N-U-M-I-K-P” for the 10th time today. I say go for it! Knock his metaphorical socks off!”

I quickly stood up. “I-I need some more time!” I said, running away. “I don’t think I’m ready!!”

Did some more decorating 😋👍🏻

Oh, looks like Sunny has a new security system. Now she’s got the infatuated radio host right where she wants him~ 🪴🙊🌸

Quick sketch of Sunny after she met Johnnie for the first time ☀️📻 (also she’s doing the fanning herself gesture thingy I did when I first saw Johnnie in season 1 episode 2)