This is such a cute and helpful idea, especially since some people either didn’t grow up with someone who could teach them this stuff or they grew up with parents who did everything for them. I knew a lot of guys in college who didn’t know how to do laundry or cook!
Hey someone suggested I use ChatGPT to figure out adulting today, and as I was going through the mental list of places I'd rather look, I realized "beloved strangers on Tumblr dot net" was on that list.
So if you have an aspect of adulting that you're really good at-taxes, budgeting, cooking, insurance, credit, time management, house upkeep, anything-please feel free to reblog with any tips.
That's us! Professional internet adults, specializing in financial stuff! We recommend starting with our Grand List of All Articles, or one of our Masterposts:
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need To Know About Taxes
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about How to Increase Your Income
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Retirement and How to Retire
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Credit and Credit Cards
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Investing for Beginners
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about How to Pay off Debt
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need To Know About Living Independently for the First Time
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Repairing Our Busted-Ass World
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Self-Care
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Getting a Job, Raise, or Promotion
MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Saving Money and Being Frugal
guys im gna see what i can do but i might tweak the universal timeline to make the earth more predominantly matriarchal because this is getting a bit ridic now x
unironically i think we need to bring back computer labs because APPARENTLY some people WERENT taught basic computer literacy and internet safety in school
things about computers/the internet i think kids should be formally taught in schools because theyre important to know and the amount of soon to be grown adults i know who know NOTHING about any of these is quite frankly almost all of them (and resources to learn if you dont know these things, because its never to late to get better with computers)
how to troubleshoot by yourself when you have a technical problem
what common file types are
some very basics on how to use ""developer tools"" on your computer (because i cant think of a better way to refer to them) like task manager and command prompt (and their mac equivalents, terminal and activity monitor ofc)
how to read and understand a privacy policy and what your personal data is, as well as what it being collected actually means and steps you can take to keep it private
how to understand terms of service
(hey. if you have trouble with reading legalese and worry about being able to understand these policies anyways, here's a site that gives basic summaries of privacy policies and ToS)
what a cookie actually is
internet privacy and your digital footprint!! seriously i dont know why we stopped teaching people that they shouldnt be putting their entire real identity online in a world where your online actions can ruin you irl
basic safety measures like antivirus software (and why you should use it or if the built in one on windows or mac is enough for you) and backing up your computer (also a mac guide)
common keyboard shortcuts (and on mac)
as an additional note: things i think everyone should know on computers and the internet but schools may bit hesitant to teach about for whatever moral/legal standards schools pretend to operate on
vpns and adblockers! (btw for most of these where you can pay for things im purposefully not recommending any specific software but seriously just use ublock origin for an adblocker)
how to not get a virus while pirating something
what a temporary email is and when to use one
red flags that you shouldn't trust a website (and how to quickly check the security of a site)
what javascript on a website does and how to disable it to get around paywalls
ok one last addition! if you want to take it one level higher, i think learning the very basics of at least one programming language is good for people. it makes computers less scary and it makes you feel very cool, and a lot of people get discouraged about it because it seems overly complicated and hard to learn outside a formal classroom setting, so heres some resources for learning the very basics of python (because i consider it the easiest language to learn and knowing one language will make it easier to learn others)
an online compiler so you dont need to download anything or worry about running code directly on your computer if that makes you nervous
a basic video guide to introduce you to python and walk you through beginner steps
a guide to some syntax and commands you should know (this was literally my lifeline in my first CS class)
some performance tasks to give you things to code to practice and assess yourself
✨Welcome to the Ghoulboss Guide to Studying Without Imploding✨
(or: How I Trick My ADHD Goblin Brain Into Not Failing Everything™)
Hi. Hello. Greetings, traveler. You’ve stumbled upon what looks like a list of “tips,” but let me be perfectly clear:
You do NOT have to read this.
I am not your dad. I am not your therapist. I am not a productivity girlie who wakes up at 5AM to drink matcha and plank while manifesting stocks. I am an unmedicated chaos beast with ADHD, hyperactivity, and a long list of academic crimes.
BUT—I also have a deeply blessed, borderline divine study coach who helped me stop spiraling long enough to figure out a system that actually works for my weird lil spooky brain. And now I’m sharing it with you. Because if I can go from crying into my homework to slaying my to-do list with eyeliner sharp enough to breach the veil, so can you.
Since the tips I screamed into the void a few weeks ago actually helped some of you feral creatures, here’s a fresh batch—this time more general, for juggling studies, writing, and staying (somewhat) organized without selling your soul.
Do I follow these tips every day? No.
Sometimes I play The Witcher Wild Hunt for 6 hours straight and dissociate.
But when I do follow them? I become unstoppable. I become a caffeinated academic hellspawn with cheekbones. I become... functional. And isn’t that the dream?
So grab a drink. Light a candle. Put on that eyeliner if you dare.
Let’s get into the cursed rituals and unhinged hacks that keep me passing exams, updating fanfics, and not crying (too much).
Welcome to the Cult. We have coffee and glitter. 🖤✨📚
📅 Step One: I Make a Schedule (and then ignore it until I don’t)
I start every week by making a very detailed schedule. Like, minute-by-minute level of insanity. Not because I’ll follow it (lol) but because it tricks my brain into thinking there’s structure. Think of it as me gaslighting my frontal lobe into productivity.
Color-coded. With emojis. Because I am ✨visually motivated✨ and I will simply not look at a boring spreadsheet.
Fic-writing gets its own slot. Yes. I schedule my delulu. Don’t judge me. Or do. I don't care.
Buffer time is sacred. I know I’ll procrastinate or get distracted or cry a little. We budget that in.
🍳 Step Two: I Eat Breakfast (This is Revolutionary)
Look. I used to skip breakfast. “No time,” I said, while scrolling AO3 at 6am. Then I started eating a small breakfast (protein + carbs) and suddenly my brain was like "maybe we can understand linear algebra." Food = focus, besties. The mitochondria cannot be the powerhouse of your cell on an empty stomach.
Also, snacks. All the time. I will literally bribe myself with grapes and crackers.
⏰ Step Three: I Work in 40-Minute Goblin Sprints
40 minutes of focus. Or... mostly focus. Sometimes I end up rewriting my fic's kissing scene for the 18th time.
Then 5–10 minutes of break where I do one (1) of the following:
Walk in tiny angry circles
Do skincare (because I’m a hot mess but I’ll be glowing)
Yell into a pillow
Read one paragraph of a fic and then STOP. (Don't let it suck you in. You will not return.)
Dance break
Scream Taylor Swift Lyrics
Play guitar for a bit
Literally sit outside to get some air. No, I don't care if it's raining, we're sitting OUTSIDE.
This method keeps my dopamine-starved brain mildly entertained and also prevents academic burnout-slash-complete nervous collapse.
🎵 Step Four: Playlists for Everything (I Am a Bard)
I have:
A study playlist (no lyrics or I will start writing a fic in my head about the tragic backstory of a calculator)
A fic-writing playlist (this one is pure unhinged vibes. It goes from Florence + the Machine to Doja Cat to sad piano in 3 songs flat)
A cleaning playlist because my room turns into a hellpit during exam season
A crying playlist for when I need to sob into my emotional support black hoodie for 15 minutes and then Get Back To It™
Music = brain leash. Tether yourself to the vibes.
📚 Step Five: Lesson Breaks = Self-Care Minigames
I do this thing where between topics, I reward myself with a “mini-task.” Like:
A sheet mask while reviewing notes
Washing my face between chapters
Brushing my hair and pretending I’m the main character who’s about to destroy her enemies in the midterms
It’s like my day becomes a little video game with tasks and cutscenes. Bonus: I stay somewhat mentally balanced and less crusty.
✍️ Step Six: I Write Fics Because Otherwise I’ll Die
Fic writing is not optional. It's medicine. If I go too long without writing, my soul starts to vibrate in a bad way. Like the ideas rot in my brain and I cannot do sh!t basically.
But here’s the trick:
I use fic writing as a reward for doing school stuff. Like "Finish this problem set and THEN you can go write about emotionally constipated elves kissing."
OR I do “warm-up writing” — 15 minutes of fic before studying. Just to get my brain moving. This has helped a lot those past few weks.
My ADHD is fueled by dopamine. Fic? Full of it. Use it.
🖤 Step Seven: I May Be a Goth Girlie, But I’m Not Doing Full Trad Makeup Just to Study
Let’s get one thing very clear: I am not spending 40 minutes crafting a black ombré lid and gluing bat wings to my eyelashes just to open my Google Drive. This ain’t a photoshoot for Graveyard Vogue — I’m just trying to survive differential equations.
So we compromise:
I slap on some ✨grunge makeup✨ like I’m the sleep-deprived extra in a 2003 Evanescence music video.
Eyeliner sharp enough to murder a man and possibly my will to live.
Lip gloss in gray, mauve, or cursed Victorian ghost purple — bonus if it looks like I kissed a corpse.
It’s hot girl study armor. It’s not for the vibes. It’s for combat.
🧠 Step Eight: I Pavlov Dog Myself Into Productivity With Glitter
Listen. My brain has no concept of time, urgency, or consequence. But it does understand pattern recognition. So I made this association:
Eyeliner = ✨Time to slay the exercise sheet, baby✨
Every time I do my “academic warpaint,” I tell myself, "Now you’re a bad bitch with a pen. You are going to finish that exam review. You are not a person anymore. You are a Force."
Repeat until your brain believes it.
Now the moment I put eyeliner on, it’s like my brain goes:
Like I’m a lil Victorian hound trained to do calculus when I smell setting spray.
✨ Step Nine: Glitter = Emotional Regulation Through Terror
Here’s the thing about glitter.
Glitter hurts. If I let myself cry during study sessions (which I always want to do), it gets in my eyeballs and suddenly I’m blind and emotionally unstable. So I don’t cry. I physically can’t.
Literally me:
Glitter is my emotional chastity belt.
Want to have a breakdown? Too bad. One salty tear and that iridescent speck of lilac becomes a shard of ✨eye glass✨.
Glitter stops the tears before they start.
I fear it. And fear is an excellent motivator.
I have trained my tear ducts to retract in horror when they see shimmer.
🍇 Step Ten: Make Room for Pleasure, You Little Gremlin
Listen. I know it feels like if you don’t study 8 hours straight, the gods will smite you, your grades will crumble, and your ancestors will disown you. BUT. You are a human being. With a brain made of sparks and soup, not steel. You need joy. You need dopamine. You need to give yourself a TREAT.
So let me say something that sounds like I’m running a hedonistic cult in a velvet robe:
“There must be pleasure in the pursuit of knowledge, or the pursuit will consume you.”
Yeah. Sorry. That just slipped out. Moving on.
🍬 PRACTICAL DEBAUCHERY (AKA TREAT TIPS):
🧃Scheduled snack breaks. Every 40 minutes of work = 1 offering to yourself. Could be a cookie. Could be three Pringles and a Capri-Sun. Could be a grape on a crystal plate. Luxury is a mindset.
🕹️Games are not a sin. You are allowed to play one round of Stardew, or 10 minutes of Tears of the Kingdom, or one match of whatever shooty game you like. Just set a timer or you will awaken three hours later like you were possessed.
📺Watch something dumb or something you like between tasks. Personally I like watching cursed YouTube videos about deep sea creatures or that one guy who screams about medieval cooking.
🧼Skincare = holy rite of reset. After a long grind session, go slap a face mask on and walk around like a swamp witch reborn. That is sacred. That is divine. You are replenishing your vital oils.
🧁Treats should be ceremonial. Finish a test? Get your favorite coffee and a cookie. Survived three classes in a row? You’re getting a croissant and no one can stop you. Every battle deserves a feast.
🪩 BONUS CHAOS TIPS:
Timers are my gods. I have one for everything. 40-minute work blocks, 10-minute breaks, even a 3-minute "cry and then move on" alarm.
I talk to myself like a Sims character. “Okay, now we go brush the teethies. And now we open the PDF, wow good job!!” It helps.
I romanticize everything. Studying is now a tragic montage. Fic writing is a forbidden affair. Cleaning my desk? Preparing for battle. Girl if it doesn't bring whimsy to me, it doesn't belong in my life. Point blank period.
Sticky notes everywhere. Sometimes they just say “remember you exist.” Which is helpful.
I regret to inform my mother… that she was right. Cleaning my room does make me feel better. Clearing my desk does make my brain work smoother. And yes, having “a place for everything” has, in fact, reduced my weekly breakdowns. I am living my life in smug, reluctant shame. You win this round, Mom.
Decorate your damn space.
Listen. I am literally studying interior design. I know the psychology of environment. You think you're “just lazy”? No, babe. You’re trying to do Greek tragedy-level tasks in a crusty little corner of doom.
Light a candle. Add a blanket. Put up a print that makes you feel like a vampire duchess or 90s hacker or mushroom witch. Your space should whisper “we do things here… powerful things.”
If your desk is cute, you’ll romanticize using it. That’s just science. (Me, a scientist, allegedly.)
Designate a "sacred corner."
This is your altar of productivity. Could be your desk, your bed, a cursed floor nook—doesn’t matter. Make it vibe. Put all your essentials there: water bottle, pens, tarot deck, stress rock, whatever. When you sit there, your brain knows: it’s time to slay.
Change the lighting. Change the vibe.
You ever notice how you feel godless and insane under overhead lights? Yeah. Same.
Desk lamp = focus mode.
Fairy lights = writing fic while listening to sad girl music.
Candle = cozy academia, maybe a little ritual sacrifice. (JK… unless?)
Color-code like your life depends on it.
My calendar looks like a unicorn bled out on it.
Blue = school. Red = deadlines. Purple = fic writing. Pink = self care. Black = Do Not Perceive Me Hour.
Is it chaotic? Yes.
Does it help me not forget I exist in 4 dimensions and have obligations in all of them? Also yes.
I need visual rewards. I am five.
Finish a task? Stick a star somewhere. Literally.
I keep a pack of star stickers and slap them into my planner like a proud Victorian governess.
Sometimes I even get a treat (a cookie, a YouTube short, or emotionally-unwise 6 hours Witcher 3 game session).
Be your own kindergarten teacher. With better shoes.
I keep a “brain vomit” notebook.
Not everything needs to be organized. Sometimes you just gotta brain dump like a gremlin. I scribble ideas, half-finished dialogue, to-do lists, reminders like “get milk” or “Google if fish can feel shame.” It’s a mess. It’s beautiful. It saves me daily.
Give your tasks unhinged names.
“Study History Chapter 3” becomes “Survive the Medieval Warlock Trials”
“Finish math problems” becomes “Make sacrifice to the Algebra God”
“Do dishes” = “Trial by combat.”
Trick your brain into thinking it’s LARPing.
Assign personas for different tasks.
Studying? You are now Professor Deathblossom.
Cleaning? You are a sexy haunted Victorian maid.
Fic writing? You’re a tormented poet in a windswept tower.
You must become the drama to defeat the dread.
Set fake deadlines. Fool your future self.
Tell yourself something’s due two days early. Lie. Boldly.
Print out a fake syllabus and gaslight yourself into being prepared. Your chaotic brain will never see it coming.
Tell someone your to-do list out loud. Even if it’s your cat.
ADHD brain forgets everything unless spoken into existence like a curse. I’ve explained my entire weekly schedule to my houseplants. They nod. I slay.
Make tiny rituals for everything.
“Put on rings = writing time.”
“Spray perfume = girlboss activation.”
“Eat gummy worm = reward from the gods.”
The sillier and more specific, the better. Your brain will eat that Pavlovian shit UP.
✨ REMEMBER:
You are not a machine. You are a little goblin child in human form trying their best with questionable time perception and an espresso dependency.
Study like a scholar. Rest like a demigod. Play like a local forest spirit.
You are not weak for needing joy. You are wise.
You are not lazy for craving reward. You are biologically motivated by shinies and snacks.
You are not indulgent for resting. You are a creature of divine chaos and glitter, and you deserve softness between the storms.
So take your notes. Drink your coffee. Eat your cookie. Play your game.
And then return to your academic altar, winged eyeliner sharp (or not), glitter intact, and ready to fight your assignments with all the fury of a caffeinated dryad.
🕯️ In Summary (Now with More Coffee and Denial of Satanic Allegations):
I do not study for school.
I perform an unholy ritual of academic sorcery.
I summon productivity by invoking the ancient spirit of a 2013 Tumblr goth who subsisted entirely on Monster Energy, eyeliner, and spite.
If I cry, the glitter will eat me alive. If I don’t, maybe I’ll pass the test.
Balance must be maintained.
I do this with one (1) haunted lip gloss, 400mg of caffeine, and a vaguely threatening to-do list written in Sharpie on my thigh.
I am not a Satanist.
Despite the rumors. Despite the eyeliner.
Despite the small, lovingly curated shrine of offerings I leave for Eros, Artemis, Persephone, and Aphrodite that includes black candles, heart-shaped trinkets, rose petals, spell jars, and a frankly concerning amount of glitter.
(Look. One time—one time—someone overheard me say:
I’m goth,
I believe in ghosts cause I've had paranormal experiences
I don’t believe in Jesus,
I write smut,
I read tarot,
AND I casually mentioned Eros while sipping my third espresso of the morning—
And they went, “Ah yes. Satanist.”
Because obviously, the only logical explanation for me being queer, hot, spiritual, spooky, and literate is pacting with the devil himself. Right? Makes perfect sense.
[TW: Just to be clear — I don’t think Satanism in itself is "bad". A lot of the stigma around it is based on misinformation, fear-mongering, movies, series, and media nonsense. This rant is about people assuming literally anything “non-Christian + cool” = Satan.])
So no babe, I’m not summoning demons to pass my exams and be some sort of stable girlboss.
I’m manifesting A’s, romantic subplots, and main character energy with some candlelight, glittery offerings, and emotional damage.
I am a Hellenistic pagan with flair, not a satanic cult leader.
(Though I would be so good at it. Just saying.)
Anyway, I’ve got five pages of notes, 4 espresso shots in my bloodstream, and I just contoured my cheekbones into a hexagonal plane of reality.
Wish me luck.
I’m about to academically ascend — or combust. Whichever comes first.
If you want more tips, feel free to scream for me in the comments and I shall provide you with more!!
I’m pretty sure none of us will get answers but please…if someone knows the secrets to showing empathy without personal anecdotes please speak up. We need answers
(Me (adhd + autism) can show empathy, but not sympathy. For me, it’s like I do the exact same thing, but as well as showing empathy through anecdotes I show sympathy through empathy).
I have somethin I guess? I’ve been the Support Friend for most of my life so I managed to get it down to a formula. TW: dog death
1. Ask Questions
This is mainly to keep them talking, that way a) they feel like they have a confidante in you, and b) the pressure is less on you to Say Things. In fact it shouldn’t be about you Saying Things at all, it should be you figuring out where they’re at and trying to understand.
E.g. “My dog died, I miss him.” Ask questions, and when they start talking, let them talk. “What was his name?” “How and when did he die?” “Tell me about him.” “What was he like?” “What’s your favourite memory of him?” “When did you first meet him?” “Did you teach him any tricks?” Again the point is to keep them talking, the questions are just to get them on a roll. If you’re worrying about what to say next, listen to what they’re saying and ask details of what they’re currently talking about, or mentally prepare your next question.
2. Listen
Let them talk. The more you listen to them talk, the more they feel like it’s okay to talk to you. If they dwindle off, ask them something else to get them talking again. Upset people usually have a lot to say.
Every now and again you can throw in little sentences like “Wow, what a bitch!” “Aw, so sad.” “What the fuck? Why?” just to prove you’re still listening and following, and haven’t wandered off into space.
3. When they’re done, give it back to them
It’s a technique called mirroring. Sum up whatever you heard in short form - if they’ve talked for half an hour about the little details of their deceased pet, say something like “It sounds like he was a very good boy/sounds like he meant a lot to you/sounds like you will miss him.” It’s been known to make people dissolve into a sobbing mess, because this is the part where you prove you’ve done your homework, you listened, you care, you get it.
4. If you really want to offer a solution, ask first. You can just skip this step altogether tbh.
Only when someone has finished talking about whatever is upsetting them, ask if you can help. “Can I offer some advice?” Now is the time for SHORT anecdotes. Short. It’s not about you sharing your story, it’s about them getting advice. Remember they don’t have to take your advice, again it’s about them and their emotions, and they know themselves best. “When my dog died, I did this. Would that help?” “I read somewhere about doing this. Maybe try that and see how it goes?”
Hope this helps y’all. The TL;DR of all this is basically listen, and prove you’re listening.
hello! I was wondering how you make gifs because I can’t seem to find any good tutorials….
Hi! I'm glad you want to learn to make gifs, it's lots of fun to do and the world needs more gifmakers! This is the tutorial where I first learned; this is a tutorial where I learned again; this is one more tutorial I stumbled across after learning which looks as accurate and detailed as a tutorial can get.
I'm sorry I'm not making into a detailed tutorial– I would genuinely love to, but I don't have that kind of time in my hands right now and I don't think I would be adding much to what's already been explained in detail by the aforementioned tutorials. That said, I'm always happy to help, so please reach out through ask or dms if you have any other question!
As for my personal giffing process:
I use Potplayer ver. 211118 for frame capture. Generally, VLC is the best, safest media player, being open source and all; I know most gifmakers on Windows use that, and it's the one I would recommend. But I got so accustomed to Potplayer's interface and shortcuts, I can't let go of it even though I know VLC is the best option by far (╥﹏╥) If you download Potplayer, make sure to download it from the official website.
These are my frame capture settings; I usually capture frames with the video slowed down (I'm just meticulous and want to make sure every frame is included, but most of the time it's not really necessary and will make the gif heavier, so be careful with that). You can reduce playback speed with the X key, increase it with C, and set it to normal again with Z. (Other useful shortcuts are alt+H to turn on/off subtitles, ctrl+E for frame capture, alt+A to select audio track.) I usually capture every frame either at 0.2x or 0.5x speed.
Something I always do and really recommend is exporting gifs a first time before converting to smart object to check and correct the timing of the gif. I usually use a 0.04-0.05 delay with frame captures at a reduced speed rate of 0.2x and 0.06-0.08 with frame captures at a reduced speed rate of 0.5x.
These are the sharpening settings I use.
For colouring, I use curves (two different layers - one for the darkest pixel and the other for the lightest pixel - often set at varying in opacity), hue/saturation, brightness/contrast, and selective color.
Lessons I've learned:
Gif dimensions look like they don't make any difference; they do. Stick to the proportions.
The video size does influence your gifs' quality. In my opinion my latest Wan gifs looked much worse than my previous gifs because I switched to a lighter video files batch (that would be, ~200MB per episode), even though they were all still mkv. Try to download heavy files when you can (and never pick anything that isn't mkv).
vaporwave
tangentwithtanner
andulkaphoto
kaledo-art
dailybridgerton
ellievsbear
