#pllstudy

[glowettee]

if you can’t join them, beat them at their own game | monda vanderwaal

you know what no one tells you when you’re the weird girl? the forgotten girl? the one on the outskirts of every group chat, the one who fades into lockers and background noise and the “oh yeah, her”? they don’t tell you that being invisible is a superpower.

because when they’re not looking at you, you can see everything. and when you’ve been left out of the game long enough, you stop waiting for someone to pick you. you start learning how to build your own board, your own rules, your own checkmate. and mona vanderwaal? she didn’t just reinvent herself. she weaponized invisibility. she turned being overlooked into a strategy.

this is for the girls who are done playing nice. who are tired of being everyone’s “before” picture. who are finally ready to stop being ignored and start being unforgettable.

i have been quite feeling invisible lately, i felt like friends haven't been matching my vibe, been wishing i had other things i don't have. while admiring other strangers without knowing their lives. it feels like invisibility has been present in my life lately. so, this is why i made this post, mona from pll has been on my mind lately and her character development in the show has resonated with me lately. so here is to the girls who are tired of being invisible, who are ready to be themselves without caring about the projections others make of them.

what they don’t see is what you can use

mona started as the sidekick, remember? “loser mona.” that’s what they called her. she watched all the pretty girls treat her like she was disposable, like she’d never be anything more than a tag-along or a punchline. but the entire time, she was studying the rules. and not just the social rules, but the unspoken ones. who has power, who doesn’t. who pretends, and who sees through it.

and once she saw how fake the system was? she didn’t cry about it. she coded her way out. literally. like… not to be dramatic but she created a terror network from a burner phone and lip gloss. the girl rebranded herself from the inside out and didn’t ask for permission once.

so here’s what i need you to understand if you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt underestimated:

→ you’re not “too quiet” or “too weird” or “too much.” you’re just still loading.

and when the download completes? you’re going to be so dangerous they’ll wish they never ignored you.

✧ how to weaponize reinvention (like mona did)

reinvention isn’t about pretending to be someone you’re not. it’s about realizing who you’ve always been beneath the projections. you’re not “turning into” someone else. you’re unearthing the girl who’s been waiting for her moment.

here’s your mona-core transformation plan i created for you all. think of it like a silent blueprint. no one has to know you’re doing it until it’s already done.

1. ✧ go ghost to get clarity

you don’t evolve in a crowd. you evolve in silence. mona vanished, on purpose. she took time away from the people who only saw her as one thing. if you’re trying to reinvent yourself while staying in the same rooms with the same people who never valued you, it’s like trying to paint your masterpiece on a foggy mirror. it won’t stick.

go ghost. log off. step back. observe more than you post. this is not isolating forever. it’s giving yourself the space to remember who tf you are without the noise.

2. ✧ romanticize your obsession phase

mona didn’t just glow up. she obsessed up. she got smarter, sharper, faster. she learned to code, built surveillance networks, studied her enemies' every move. while they were partying, she was plotting. it wasn’t out of spite... it was because she finally cared about herself more than she cared about them.

find your thing and get borderline delusional about it. your grades. your skincare. your SAT prep. your book you're writing. your personal brand. pick one obsession and make it your everything. fall in love with knowing more than everyone in the room. there is nothing more powerful than a girl with an obsession no one sees coming.

3. ✧ be unrecognizable. but still you

when mona came back, she wasn’t “loser mona” anymore. she was glossy. mysterious. her words were clipped like she’d deleted half her personality just to make space for ice. you don’t need to become mean. you just need to become unreadable.

leave the overexplaining behind. let people wonder. change your style. update your habits. wear something unexpected. shift your tone. speak softer, think sharper. nothing scares people more than the girl they thought they knew, suddenly looking like a puzzle they never had the pieces to.

4. ✧ build a life that makes you unbothered

this is not about revenge in the messy, petty way. it’s the softest kind of revenge: becoming so content in your own world that their validation feels irrelevant.

mona didn’t just take power, she built systems. her lair. her data archive. her skillset. her “i don’t need any of you to win” energy. you need your own version of that. maybe it’s your notion dashboard. your pinterest board. your secret google doc full of ideas. your weekly routine. your skincare archive. make your life a fortress. girlblogging has become a part of my life, and i use it as a system to improve myself while helping others.

5. ✧ be scary in a way they can’t name

the ultimate mona move? no one ever quite knew what she was thinking. and that made her powerful. she wasn’t dramatic. she wasn’t loud. she was calculating. strategic. collected.

learn how to be calm in chaos. learn how to let people underestimate you and say “thank you.” start doing things that don’t make sense to anyone but you. when you stop performing for their approval and start acting from your own internal plan, you become intimidating without lifting a finger.

✧ final thoughts from mindy (aka: me)

some of us were never meant to be the main character in their story. because we’re meant to write our own. if they didn’t choose you, good. now you’re free to choose yourself with no interference.

i want you to stop apologizing for how deeply you feel things. for how hard you try. for how long you remember the mean things they said. you are not too sensitive. you are not overreacting. you are collecting data. and one day, you’re going to turn all that hurt into something unrecognizable and sharp and stunning.

mona didn’t need a second chance. she made one.

and so will you.

xoxo mindy~

⋆ free resource drop: a printable guide for overthinking, burnout, and perfectionist spirals. download “deprogramming your trauma-coded ambition” here →

[glowettee]

studying like spencer hastings: a guide by mindy on becoming rosewood's top student 📚 (pll mini-series part 1)

hey loves! mindy here with an in-depth guide on how to truly embody spencer hastings' iconic study methods. i completely watched all 7 seasons of pretty little liars with my mother when the show first came out, it gives me so much nostalgia now, and i'm currently binge-watching it again. i decided to make a post based on spencer hastings and how she aces the "study icon" in the show. let's actually get into the mind of our favorite overachieving hastings sister and her actual study habits from the show.

spencer's signature study locations

the hastings' barn (her perfect study sanctuary)

the brew (corner table with coffee always)

rosewood high library (usually after hours)

her bedroom desk (facing the dilaurentis house)

hastings family kitchen island (late night cramming spot)

the hastings family pressure approach

spencer's drive comes from:

competing with melissa's academic record

maintaining the hastings family reputation

being top of every class

getting into upenn (her family legacy)

running for academic decathlon

spencer's actual study routine (as seen in pll)

morning routine:

field hockey practice at dawn

review notes during breakfast

morning newspaper with coffee

quiz herself while getting ready

arrive early to help teachers

study techniques we see spencer use:

reciting french verbs while stress-cleaning

creating murder boards (but make it academic)

using her photographic memory skills

studying while on the elliptical

recording herself reading notes

spencer-specific organization methods

her iconic planner system:

color-coded by subject and priority

sticky tabs for important deadlines

cross-referencing system

weekly, monthly, and semester goals

extracurricular schedule integration

the hastings approach to academic competition

remember when spencer:

joined academic decathlon despite drama

competed against mona

studied russian history all night

memorized entire poems

practiced debate skills with melissa

spencer's stress management (what we should and shouldn't copy)

healthy habits:

stress baking

field hockey as outlet

piano playing breaks

organizing when anxious

intense research sessions

things to avoid:

pushing herself to exhaustion

skipping meals for studying

letting competition consume you

isolating from friends

spencer's actual study materials (seen throughout pll)

her desk essentials:

leather-bound planners

monogrammed notebooks

post-it notes everywhere

family laptop

classic literature collection

ap study guides

debate team materials

newspaper clippings

french dictionaries

spencer's unique study methods

specific techniques we see her use:

creating conspiracy theory boards for subjects

turning historical events into mystery cases

debating with herself in the mirror

teaching aria and emily to boost understanding

writing perfect notes during crisis moments

the hastings time management system

how spencer balances:

field hockey team captain duties

maintaining perfect grades

student government

russian history club

debate team

family obligations

solving mysteries (kidding… kind of)

spencer's power moves

signature spencer habits:

correcting teachers (iconic but maybe don't)

knowing answers before questions are finished

having backup assignments ready

keeping extra credit work on hand

maintaining perfect attendance despite being threatened by a mysterious stalker

spencer hastings didn't become valedictorian by accident. her intense dedication, although sometimes extreme, shows us the importance of commitment and passion in academics. just remember to balance it better than she did!

sending you all the hastings determination minus the hastings family drama! ✨

xoxo, mindy