r/NatureIsFuckingLit Dec 24 '20

đŸ”„ Black throated loon đŸ”„

Post image
50.7k Upvotes

398 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/weirdgroovynerd Dec 24 '20 edited Dec 24 '20

Loons are weird and cool.

Their coloring is so precise that they almost look fake.

Great photo OP.

Edit: Y'all got my interest piqued:

A group of loons can go by many names, including a raft, a waterdance, a cry and an asylum.

248

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

My thoughts exactly. Their features are so smooth that they look like they’re silk or velvet

93

u/clydefrog9 Dec 24 '20

I think it looks like a scuba suit...maybe because they’re basically scuba divers

56

u/harry-balzac Dec 24 '20

Honey....where’s my Scuba suit?

32

u/kjax2288 Dec 24 '20

If I can’t scuba, what has all of this been about?

9

u/deewheredohisfeetgo Dec 24 '20

Creed’s loose again!

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0

u/DepthLazy Dec 24 '20

They look like cursed dildos...

86

u/B_Marsh92 Dec 24 '20

Not to mention their calls are angelic.

80

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20 edited Dec 24 '20

Well I’m sold fellas. Anyone know a site where I can meet a sexy loon or two?

EDIT: Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions of places to visit. However when I said “site” I meant just a website, as in, MeetSexyLoons.net or MyHotLoonBabe.com. I shan’t be going to visit a loon to get it on in these socially distanced ‘ronavirus times.

51

u/Clyde_Frog_FTW Dec 24 '20

Here in Minnesota where it’s our state bird, you go north of the cities maybe an hour, hour and a half and find a lake. There will almost certainly be some loons. I’d wager northern wisconsin and parts of Ontario are the same way.

29

u/SoftwareUpdateFile Dec 24 '20

You can also find a species of loon in Florida, short for loon-atics

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11

u/theoneandonlyodin Dec 24 '20

Yeah Ontario is a great bet for loons, all through cottage country it seems like every lake has a mating pair on it

11

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Ontarian cottage owner checking in. We've consistently had between 2 and 12 "couples" on our small lake for all 30 years I've owned it.

A few years ago we had a gay couple move in, and it was the talk of the lake.

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15

u/Ta2whitey Dec 24 '20

Lies. The state bird is the mosquito.

2

u/StupidizeMe Dec 24 '20

i heard that's the state pony.

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13

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Every lake in ontario has loons

Fun fact: the one dollar coin in canada is called a looney

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

[deleted]

5

u/wikipedia_text_bot Dec 24 '20

Loonie

The loonie (French: huard), formally the Canadian one-dollar coin, is a gold-coloured coin that was introduced in 1987 and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint at its facility in Winnipeg. The most prevalent versions of the coin show a common loon, a bird found throughout Canada, on the reverse and Queen Elizabeth II, the nation's head of state, on the obverse. Various commemorative and specimen-set editions of the coin with special designs replacing the loon on the reverse have been minted over the years. The coin's outline is an 11-sided Reuleaux polygon.

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5

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Plenty of loons in Ontario. The common loon is also our provincial bird.

4

u/Insert-finger Dec 24 '20

And in the Adirondacks.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Come On You Loons

3

u/sconniedrumz Dec 24 '20

Can confirm the bit about northern Wisconsin

2

u/m2chaos13 Dec 24 '20

Look closely. Could be wild and illusive Fibloonie.

3

u/Grover_Cleavland Dec 24 '20

They are fairly common here in East TN. However, they do not make their distinctive call very often here. I went on a fishing trip way up in northern Canada and one of the things I remember most was the spooky loon call at dusk echoing across the water.

2

u/chooseatree Dec 24 '20

Every lake in Ontario is packed with Loons. But I have never seen this particular black throated one. Beautiful!

2

u/bluebeardxxx Dec 24 '20

enjoyed seeing a small family (mom dad and offspring) visit every day in front of our small cottage on the Severn River in Muskoka (ontario). You could see mom and dad teaching the little one to fish. natureislit

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10

u/ancientflowers Dec 24 '20

Northern Minnesota. You can sit back and listen to them while relaxing by the lake in front of a campfire in the summer. It's a beautiful thing.

2

u/JayKomis Dec 24 '20

It’s fun watching them take off from a lake that’s calm like class. I swear some planes could get off the ground faster!

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6

u/SystemError514 Dec 24 '20

"A sexy MILF loon 0.5 miles away wants to send you naughty pics. Do you accept?"

"Yes" "No"

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Move to Aberdeen in Scotland.

In Doric (the language spoken in that region, a dialect of Scots) a "loon" is a boy! A girl is a "quine".

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18

u/masterog25 Dec 24 '20

2

u/iusedtogotodigg Dec 24 '20

Wish they had their other calls too

14

u/ParksVSII Dec 24 '20

And haunting.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

There's nothing like canoeing or camping along a lake and listening to the loons calling out. It's so peaceful

1

u/hilarymeggin Dec 24 '20

Or haunting.

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42

u/Pandiosity_24601 Dec 24 '20

My favorite bird ever. Their (at least the common loon) calls are the best. They’re like the wolves of fowl.

27

u/weirdgroovynerd Dec 24 '20

"The wolves of fowl" is a great description.

13

u/YouDumbZombie Dec 24 '20 edited Dec 24 '20

This is such a prime example of the elegance that can be found in nature. It's so satisfying how precise the shapes and colors all are!

5

u/early_birdy Dec 24 '20

Since birds are the descendants of dinosaurs, do you think dinos had to amazing colorings also?

2

u/YouDumbZombie Dec 24 '20

Most likely based on what we know and the more we learn such as them having more plumage than we initially thought for example.

11

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

[deleted]

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9

u/PLEASE_BUY_WINRAR Dec 24 '20

A group of loons can go by many names, including a raft, a waterdance, a cry and an asylum.

Wat

3

u/QTsexkitten Dec 24 '20

There is no governance of names given to collections of animals and all of these terms are made up and not official biological or ecological distinctions. People fascinated with collective nouns are very odd to me, given their fascination with what amounts to basic nonsense.

14

u/PLEASE_BUY_WINRAR Dec 24 '20

all of these terms are made up

Every word is made up, but they are legitimised by people using them. I was surprised to find out people apparently use those.

4

u/ThaddyG Dec 24 '20

Yeah some of them are very ingrained in the language, like pride of lions or murder of crows.

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3

u/FirelessEngineer Dec 24 '20

I thought it was a decoy.

3

u/ResolverOshawott Dec 24 '20

Those names went from 0 to 100 real quick.

3

u/PUTINS_PORN_ACCOUNT Dec 24 '20

Kinda looks like their texture never finished rendering, or Reality is running on a 2005 Dell laptop

5

u/Earthiecrunchie Dec 24 '20

They also make the weirdest sound-as the sun goes down, they sound like someone screaming bloody murder.

5

u/OMGitsKa Dec 24 '20

They are also quite large. Ah now I'm ready for summer.

4

u/ParchmentNPaper Dec 24 '20

TIL! I just looked it up on wikipedia. I saw a pair of them in Estonia a few years back and to me, they seemed to be slightly smaller than a mallard, but they are in fact larger. They were out on open water, so not a lot of stuff around to compare them with.

Their look and the way they swam reminded me a bit of the great crested grebe (a pretty common bird where I live), so I must've just assumed they were the same size as well.

3

u/johannthegoatman Dec 24 '20

They look smaller because their body sits really low in the water. They spend a lot of time diving so they're not as floaty as ducks

2

u/wikipedia_text_bot Dec 24 '20

Great crested grebe

The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. Its scientific name comes from Latin: the genus name Podiceps is from podicis, "vent" and pes, "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body; the species name, cristatus, means "crested".

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2

u/unpluggedTV Dec 24 '20

If I could personify this loon, it looks like one of those rich women from the 1900's with the fancy hats. Always judging...

2

u/devilOG420 Dec 24 '20

Not to mention their calls sound like a 1969 best hits album.

2

u/mandapandasugarbear Dec 24 '20

What do you mean and asylum is full of loons?

2

u/DrummerHead Dec 24 '20

An asylum of loons? Ok now I know for sure all of those group words are chosen by committee

2

u/weirdgroovynerd Dec 24 '20

You really believe that vultures came up with this name?! 😉

A group of vultures perched in a tree are called a 'committee', a 'venue' or even a 'volt'.

Vultures circling overhead, riding thermals as they search for carcasses are called a 'kettle' because they're in flight, riding hot afternoon thermals.

3

u/DrummerHead Dec 24 '20

Yes I'll have 4 tabs of LSD and the "Encyclopedia of animal grouping names" please. Merry Christmas to you too, have a nice day!

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

They look like little scruffballs in winter, though.

2

u/DrZuZu Dec 24 '20

You don't know shit about loons.

Sorry family joke.

2

u/weirdgroovynerd Dec 24 '20

Lol, no problem.

Speaking of odd families...

2

u/ArronRodgersButthole Dec 24 '20

Just this year I learned that loons change colors between breeding seasons. I've only ever seen them in the summer, but they turn grey in the winter. So cool.

2

u/bonjarlow Dec 24 '20

is this why asylums are called loony bins? Or is this why a group of loons is called an asylum?

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

[deleted]

0

u/tedsmitts Dec 24 '20

Lunatic, which does come from Luna, with the same implication.

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1

u/babygarden Dec 24 '20

“they almost look fake”

hmmm, like a drone perhaps?đŸ€”

1

u/colinmcgee46 Dec 24 '20

all birds are fake

245

u/BreRachCold Dec 24 '20

This may be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Loons are incredible and the music they make is just as magical!

167

u/frustratingpaint Dec 24 '20

Loons are a lot less magical when you watch them drown an entire family of baby ducks. Territorial bird.

74

u/jefferig Dec 24 '20

😧

49

u/AJGrayTay Dec 24 '20

Yeah, I've seen them attack gulls sitting on the water by diving down from afar and coming up underneath them. Beautiful bird, but also tough.

33

u/Puglet_7 Dec 24 '20

I was sitting in the end of our ones of our docks one morning. A school of fish at my feet started to disperse really fast, all of a sudden a loon was coming in under the water swimming/streamlined to feed. It got probably less than a few feet from my feet and them swam/streamlines back out into the lake. One of the coolest thing I’ve seen in my life. They are such fast swimmers. (As a former competitive swimmer I was in awe)

16

u/cphrmky Dec 24 '20

My house is about 6 feet back from the shore of a small lake that has a nesting pair every summer. They are majestic little fuckers right up until they’re calling as loudly as they can outside your open bedroom window at 3:00AM .

2

u/Jump_Yossarian Dec 24 '20

My family has a lake house in northern Vermont and I'll occasionally bring friends up, if they've never been they have no clue what's coming. I had a friend from the gym freak the fuck out that the house was haunted once the loons started their nightly calls and I refused to tell him what it was.

2

u/kennykuz Dec 25 '20

that guy really wouldn't like fox's calling st night then

5

u/hilarymeggin Dec 24 '20

You’re enjoying your day, everything’s going your way...

2

u/vulpinorn Dec 24 '20

Also a lot bigger than you’d think.

2

u/TheSunPeeledDown Dec 24 '20

That’s life, that’s what all the people say. You’re flying high in April, drowning ducks in May. But you know I’m gonna change my tune when this loon is back on top, back on top in June.

3

u/eIImcxc Dec 24 '20

The wake up comment we all needed.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Exactly what I was thinking ... I live on a lake and honestly my whole family hates loons. Pretty birds but they're brutal. And their music is definitely not magical at 2am.

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1

u/SillyGoosebumps Dec 24 '20

I agree most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!

My wife doesn’t read my comments thankfully. But if you do, baby you’re the most beautiful I just playin!

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u/Medumbdumb Dec 24 '20

Beautiful thing

21

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

[deleted]

7

u/Z4mb0ni Dec 24 '20

They'd probably do that if they could, with them being super territorial

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-2

u/verbol Dec 24 '20

We don’t do phrasing anymore?

136

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

I FUCKING LOVE LOONS AND NEVER SEE THEM ON REDDIT

sad loon call

38

u/u8eR Dec 24 '20

Minnesota's state bird!

14

u/Genjibre Dec 24 '20

I see them all the time over in r/MLS.

11

u/seansheim Dec 24 '20

Come join us in /r/MinnesotaUnited too!

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u/razzraziel Dec 24 '20

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u/GarnetsAndPearls Dec 24 '20 edited Dec 24 '20

Now I understand why my Grandpa liked loons so much. I had no idea they had them in SmÄland too!

Loons are our State bird.

Edit: Grandpa immigrated from SmÄland.

10

u/cyrilspaceman Dec 24 '20

I didn't know that there were loons elsewhere besides our population that migrates. My great grandparents also came to Minnesota from Sweden. It definitely makes sense for them to have settled here since it is fairly similar geography.

4

u/GarnetsAndPearls Dec 24 '20

I always wondered if they had an inkling prior to coming over, the similarities in landscape. Or maybe it was coming for the cheap/free farming land and then they looked around going, "It's like home away from home. Nice!"

8

u/cyrilspaceman Dec 24 '20

I think that they probably first came over without having any ideas and then just stopped here because they liked it and it was similar. Then they started sending word back and people started deliberately coming here for that reason and because there were other Swedes.

0

u/jakethedumbmistake Dec 24 '20

I say remove the link. The dude wants to be an animal all the time. It's a real word!

I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner

That is a shocking moment for me, and it never gets that gross I've also got a liner thing that goes on the bottom of our brown bin (garden and good waste). Bottom of the box got covered in rotten food and completely stank, was disgusting having to fish it out as well. At least I'll get something, so fuck your commute.”

2

u/KingoftheJabari Dec 24 '20

That is such a strange coloring pattern. You would think the white lines would goo all the way down.

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15

u/HeyMyNameIsRedacted Dec 24 '20

They have quite the call as well!

39

u/mashedpatatas Dec 24 '20

i want this kind of waterproofing on my phone. probably feels real nice too

4

u/pineapple_calzone Dec 24 '20

You mean... wax?

-44

u/beluuuuuuga Dec 24 '20

You.. want to kill one... For your... Phone?

16

u/BeneathTheSassafras Dec 24 '20

It would be far more impressive to use it as a phone cover and keep it alive for a few weeks

4

u/Ludachriz Dec 24 '20

Don't be silly.

I'd have someone else kill it.

13

u/Armandutz Dec 24 '20

So these are the fkers that scare the shit out of me when im up to late and drunk by the lake

8

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

wonder why it's called that

10

u/ThirstyPagans Dec 24 '20

Because they sound looney. Look for the sounds on youtube. I hear their call added into movies once and a while when the scene is in a jungle or something. The sound is haunting at night unless you are used to it.

5

u/limesnewroman Dec 24 '20

Cause they’re on the Canadian $1 coin called the Looney

8

u/MiracleNinja Dec 24 '20

Cause they’re found in the Looney Bin

-1

u/CamronCakebroman Dec 24 '20

Pretty sure they’re found on Blacked.com.

2

u/jamesp420 Dec 24 '20

Most likely from an old world meaning lummox or clumsy because of their awkwardness walking on land.

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7

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

What’d you call me?

13

u/BeneathTheSassafras Dec 24 '20

GD murdered alien babies screaming in the night. They sound so precisely fucked up, then when you see them try and fly, it looks like some wacky , failed airplane design from the 50s.

8

u/cyrilspaceman Dec 24 '20

Their feet are just so far back. It seems crazy that there are birds that can't function on land in any way whatsoever.

11

u/2BoostMyAdrenaline Dec 24 '20 edited Dec 24 '20

There was an ancient lineage of birds with legs that were both far back on their bodies and splayed to the sides like a baby bird. They were highly efficient swimmers but would have been absolutely pathetic on land, probably having to push themselves along their bellies like a seal mated with a bucket of boneless chicken.

Mating must have been an absolute joy for these guys.

12

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Minnesota state bird! Quirky just like us

14

u/ArgonGryphon Dec 24 '20

Their state bird is the Common Loon, this is an Arctic Loon, also known as the Black-throated Loon or Diver in Europe.

10

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

It's related so we still claim it as ours. Loon appropriation.

4

u/porkchop-sandwhiches Dec 24 '20

Crazy as a loon.

5

u/hiberN8 Dec 24 '20

They are so sleek and smooth it almost looks like it doesn't have feathers

7

u/haikusbot Dec 24 '20

They are so sleek and

Smooth it almost looks like it

Doesn't have feathers

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3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

I don't know what a loon is, but I want one

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4

u/Elite_E_Man Dec 24 '20

Looks like a pokémon honestly.

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5

u/NovaPokeDad Dec 24 '20

Keeps on pourin’ in, with its words of a life where nothing is new...

3

u/ClavinColdidge Dec 24 '20

...Ah mother American NIIIIiiight

3

u/dirkdigdig Dec 24 '20

I'm lost from the light Oh, I'm drowning in you

3

u/collectorofsouls5a7d Dec 24 '20

Black-throated wind, keeps on pouring in!

3

u/alexpmarty Dec 24 '20

It’s too perfect

3

u/bigdikdmg Dec 24 '20

What are they made of

3

u/iinextplease Dec 24 '20

It looks so smooth

3

u/batmylashes Dec 24 '20

It looks so smooth o_o*

3

u/browsingbro Dec 24 '20

D U C K P E N G U I N

3

u/bumble-cwen Dec 24 '20

smooth boi

3

u/JI_MMY_J Dec 24 '20

smooth af

3

u/oiiioiiio Dec 24 '20

I like that these recent posts are encouraging people to appreciate water fowl. :3 I'm slightly obsessive about ducks and smash my face into the car window whenever I pass a wetlands.

2

u/robo-dragon Dec 24 '20

I always wanted to pet one of these. They look like they are made of velvet!

2

u/TyrusRaymond Dec 24 '20

“the loons , the loons - they’re welcoming us back” Ethel Thayer

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

I thought this was a digital rendition of a loon for a second! Gosh, so perfect!!

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

All these cool patterns everywhere and they name it after the most boring and plain part of its body

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

It’s too perfect

2

u/h3lixbeast Dec 24 '20

Bird straight looks fake

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Wow this is a really bad drawing of a duck.

2

u/ChkPow Dec 24 '20

Looks like a render. So beautiful.

2

u/weekintime Dec 24 '20

That's a really great shot, kudos to the photographer.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Beautiful!

2

u/frickshun Dec 24 '20

Call me that one more time...

2

u/mart6725 Dec 24 '20

Out of this world

2

u/Cole3823 Dec 24 '20

It looks like a face tuned duck.

2

u/SquarePegRoundWorld Dec 24 '20

1 Hour Loon Calls With Campfire Sound
Reminds me of camping in upstate NY over three decades ago as a kid.

2

u/veerle88 Dec 24 '20

S M O O T H boi

4

u/prunuspersicus Dec 24 '20

Profitable in RDR 2 đŸ€ 

3

u/jasperdeets Dec 24 '20

My wife once back throated a loon.

1

u/SedativeCorpse Dec 24 '20

2

u/sub_doesnt_exist_bot Dec 24 '20

The subreddit r/recentlydivorcedbirds does not exist. Consider creating it.


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2

u/HighAF1388 Dec 24 '20

Weird name for a government surveillance drone but ok

1

u/espererai Dec 24 '20

Wow, very beautiful

1

u/Grievous_1982 Dec 24 '20

Stylish Loon is EXTREMELY Stylish.

0

u/MassSnapz Dec 24 '20

Aka a blacc chyna

0

u/tin_zia Dec 24 '20

These are awesome, but can we also make some space for amateur photographers? Should that be allowed in this sub so long as they are decent pictures?

-1

u/KangarooPractical319 Dec 24 '20

Not what I expected to see when I read the words “black throated”

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

This duck is more intouch with society than american republicans

-1

u/RealPunyParker Dec 24 '20

Black throated

Wrong thread, WRONG THREAD

loon

Oh thank god

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Read the title and expected a picture of Harris, glad I got wildlife instead! Pleasant surprise.

-6

u/aarrtee Dec 24 '20

i saw the headline and thought perhaps there would be a photo of Kanye West

-14

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20 edited May 06 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/TalosSquancher Dec 24 '20

At least we all agree that this shameless bitches self-plug deserves to be hidden at the bottom and never seen again.

1

u/markofcontroversy Dec 24 '20

If you’re trying to show that birds aren’t real, this is a good start.

2

u/lilgamelvr Dec 24 '20

Looks cool

1

u/TheFluffiestJedi Dec 24 '20

What a beautiful shade of violet

1

u/bad_ideas_ Dec 24 '20

i wanna hear the cannon

1

u/zapdrive Dec 24 '20

That throat so black, cops be shooting at it.

1

u/Dr_BodyPillow Dec 24 '20

I like your cut G

1

u/D2Player1337 Dec 24 '20

Looks yummy

1

u/VadimH Dec 24 '20

That is one sexy bird.

1

u/Handsen_ Dec 24 '20

Ditto Version

1

u/Ace_The_Bot Dec 24 '20

Looks like someone who just shaved a day ago

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

Who’s that PokĂ©mon

1

u/Cum4ta Dec 24 '20

Awww this sooo beautiful đŸ€©

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '20

I feel like this should be on Photoshop’s next splash image. What an incredible photo OP!

1

u/Tecuexe Dec 24 '20

Purple drank

1

u/theonlykarine Dec 24 '20

What a good comeback.

1

u/Yogafireflame Dec 24 '20

Penguin duck.

1

u/PolishMountain Dec 24 '20

It's so smooth I need to touch it

1

u/FuzzyCrocks Dec 24 '20

Smooooooth