Pepe the King Prawn Is the Face of TikTok's New Favorite Meme

Sometimes, there are emotions that just can't be conveyed with the human face. There are only around 43 muscles in there, after all — and it takes every single one them just for a measly frown. That's why reaction images and memes are so popular. Why try to express the feeling of being a dog in a little top hat sitting on a chair surrounded by fire when you could just send a photo that captures it perfectly?

For years, the Muppets have been a perfect source of reaction imagery. From Kermit talking to his evil, hooded self to Kermit sipping a nice, refreshing glass of Lipton iced tea, those little puppets are way too relatable.

Now, a new felted face is taking the spotlight in a meme you've probably seen all over your TikTok For You Page: Pepe the King Prawn. And he looks like he's been through it. Here's the lowdown on the meme.

Throughout TikTok, Pepe the King Prawn and his stunned little orange face are providing the perfect backdrop for users to tell their wild — and wildly uncomfortable — stories. Some are sharing minor "yikes" moments, like one user who wrote, "Me at work after accidentally saying 'slay' to a grown a-- professional that makes five times my salary."

Another example of a shorter story using the meme says, "My face when someone wanted to adopt a cat but then asked if the microchip could be removed so the government couldn't track them."

However, others are utilizing it in a different way, sharing lengthier tales of woe that users can swipe through on the app. Each slide includes the photo of Pepe, and sometimes they zoom in to enhance the effect of his confounded visage.

One user said, "One time, I really didn't want to go to school ... I told my mom I was hurting REALLY bad so she would let me stay home. She asks my symptoms and I make something up on the spot. She proceeds to tell me to get in the car and that we're going to the hospital because she's 100 percent sure [my] appendix burst."

Think you know where this story is going? Think again.

She continued, "Knowing I lied, I was freaking out in the car and was scared I was gonna get in trouble for lying. After getting tests done in the hospital, I decided to tell my mom I lied about not feeling good."

"The doctor comes in and tells my mom, 'You might want to sit down.'" Burst appendix? Not quite. "He tells my mom that I have a tumor [that] has teeth, hair, and can have eyeballs. Hospital trip well spent."

How do you even react to that news, other than with a photo of Pepe the King Prawn?

To add the appropriate amount of drama to their stories, users are also including hauntingly beautiful background music: the choir version of "Like a Prayer" by Madonna from Deadpool and Wolverine.

Even celebrities are getting in on the trend, like T-Pain, who used it to share his surprise about the Message Requests section of Instagram's DMs, which has caused him to inadvertently ignore messages from fellow celebs like Fergie and Viola Davis.

If you have an unhinged story to share, consider setting it to a grainy backdrop of Pepe's shocked face. Or, the next time your best friend tells you all of her dating app drama, you know exactly how to respond.