Ninjago Stories Part Two

Babysitting Ivy/ that Hyperpigmentation meme thingie

I don't get it at all but eh

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" Hey, Molly. How're you enjoying the new restaurant with Archer and Bansha?"

Molly sighed from the other side of the phone. " We're doing fine. But how's Ivy?"

Mia glanced back at the sulking toddler and the laughing Emma and Annie. " Uhhh... She's fine. Hey, just a question."

" Yeah?"

" Why's Ivy drawing a Pineapple with a face on it?"

" A pine.... OOOOH! You mean that Hyperpigmentation meme!"

Mia blinked. " Uh..... What?"

Molly chuckled through the phone. "It's this meme where people put faces on peo- I mean Pineapples? Uh..... It's goofy but super popular right now."

Mia furrowed her brow, glancing back at Ivy. The toddler was holding up her masterpiece with a pout, clearly upset by Emma and Annie, who were rolling around on the sand, clutching their sides in hysterics.

Mia sighed. "Hang on, Molly. I've got a pineapple crisis on my hands."

She hung up and walked over to Ivy, who had tears welling up in her big eyes. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I drew Mr. Piney, but they think it's funny!" Ivy sniffled, her lower lip trembling. "Is it bad? Is it ugly? Does Mr. Piney need... a new face?"

Mia knelt down, glancing at the picture—a pineapple with comically huge eyes, thick eyebrows, and a mustache that curled like it belonged on a villain from an old movie.

"It's... very creative," Mia said carefully. "But, uh, maybe the mustache caught them off guard?"

Annie, still gasping for breath, pointed at the picture. "It looks like the pineapple's about to yell at us for walking on his lawn!"

Emma was crying from laughter. "I can't... I can't breathe... Look at the eyebrows! They're like angry caterpillars!"

Ivy stomped her foot. "They're distinguished, not angry!"

Blackie, who had been lazily sunbathing nearby, opened one eye. "Frankly, I think Mr. Piney deserves more respect. Look at that impeccable mustache."

Mia nodded solemnly. "See? Even Blackie agrees. Distinguished mustaches are an art form."

Ivy's frown wavered. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Mia said with a grin. "Why don't we frame Mr. Piney when we get home?"

Ivy's face lit up. "Yes! He'll be famous!"

Emma, wiping tears from her face, gasped, "Can we please get shirts made with Mr. Piney on them?"

Annie wheezed. "Team Piney for life."

Mia shook her head, trying not to laugh. "Y'all are hopeless."

As soon as Annie led a much happier Ivy down to the water, Emma pulled out her phone, her face still red from laughter.

Mia leaned over, curious. "What are you doing?"

Emma grinned mischievously. "Looking up that Hyperpigmentation meme Molly mentioned. I have to see what Ivy accidentally tapped into."

A few swipes and searches later, Emma's jaw dropped. "OH. MY. GOSH."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

Emma turned the phone to Mia, revealing a collage of pineapples with human faces Photoshopped onto them — some smiling serenely, others scowling like they just found out someone stole their parking spot.

"Why do they all look like they're plotting world domination?" Mia muttered in disbelief.

Emma burst out laughing. "Ivy was ahead of the trend! She practically made a new meme!"

Blackie padded up, flicking his tail in judgment. "Honestly, humans get excited over the weirdest things. Now if it were a sardine meme, I'd understand."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Of course you would." She snatched Emma's phone and took a picture of Blackie looking unimpressed. "Boom. New meme right there: Grumpy Cat 2.0, now with more sass."

Emma gasped dramatically. "You might be onto something. But first..." She pulled up a custom shirt-making site. "Team Piney shirts are happening, Mia. There's no turning back now."

Mia sighed, shaking her head. "I'm surrounded by chaos."

Blackie snorted. "Took you long enough to realize."

Annie returned, holding a soggy but giggling Ivy by the hand. "She's all rinsed off and ready for—oh. She's back at it."

They watched as Ivy enthusiastically sketched another pineapple person, this time with a stylish mustache and sunglasses.

Emma snorted. "She’s creating Pineapple Influencers now."

Annie plopped down beside them, shaking water from her hair. "So, um...funny thing about that meme you were talking about."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

Annie grimaced. "It kind of... exploded. Like wildfire. Someone posted Ivy's original pineapple face on social media, and now there are hashtags everywhere: #PineyPeople, #PineapplePerfection, #HyperPigPine."

Emma's jaw dropped. "No way."

Annie pulled out her phone and showed them a viral post. "Look! People are making pineapple plushies, stickers, and even... pineapple-themed makeup tutorials."

Mia blinked. "Wait. Makeup tutorials? Inspired by a toddler's drawing?"

Blackie perched on Mia's shoulder, looking at the screen with disdain. "I've officially lost faith in your species."

Annie giggled. "Honestly, it's kind of impressive."

Emma's eyes lit up. "We should totally cash in on this. Ivy’s gonna be famous!"

Ivy, blissfully unaware, lifted her latest drawing. "This one's Pineapple Princess! She's the queen of the fruit kingdom!"

Mia facepalmed. "Annie, this is all your fault."

"Hey!" Annie protested. "I just gave her crayons!"

"And now we're one step away from a Pineapple Empire," Mia groaned.

Blackie flicked his tail. "I better get royalties if they start putting pineapples with cat faces on cereal boxes."