Francesca's Thoughts

Let's go old-school internet and hold a conversation.

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04/08/2026

How to actually support your favourite indie creators and small businesses in 2026

The algorithm has shown me a lot of posts recently about small and single-person businesses closing down. I must have interacted with a singular announcement and poof, all I seem to see is ‘with regret we’re closing our doors…’ There a eleventy billion reasons why a business might close, not all of them financial, but… Continue reading

DISCUSS.

algorithm-free small business support, Francesca's Thoughts, free ways to support artists, free ways to support creatives, free ways to support writers, how to support artists, how to support indie creatives, how to support indie creators, how to support small businesses, how to support writers, Ko-Fi, My Goth Aunt, newsletters, Patreon, small business support 2026, Substack, word of mouth small business support, WordPress
29/04/2015

The Elephant in the Screen

I thought I’d better address this particular issue now rather than in a few posts’ time, mostly because I won’t want to in a few posts’ time. Gone is the wonderful, creaky Indifferent Ignorance layout that’s been my favourite thing to look at for the past five point five years and in its place is…… Continue reading

April 2015, Indifferent Ignorance, Internet

Bueno theme, Indifferent Ignorance, Internet woes, themes, WordPress
10/09/2014

Explaining the Internet Slowdown (and protesting so you might not be able to read it)

It’s not that often that a lot of the people who use the Internet agree on something, but it looks like the US government has given us all a common enemy (again. Didn’t this happen with SOPA and Prop 8?!). I don’t have a huge understanding of the technical aspects of it, but essentially the… Continue reading

DISCUSS., Fuckin’ Idiots, Internet, September 2014, Social Media, THE WORLD *head in hands*, Tumblr

#InternetSlowDown, ‘The Guardian’, Battle for the Net, Congress, Etsy, FCC, Indifferent Ignorance, my art, NHS, online access, people on the Internet found something to agree on, Tumblr, Twitter, US government, videos, WordPress
27/05/2013

How To Not Write a Shit Blog

I Googled that very title to make myself feel better and it turns out that despite all the questionable wonderful advice that’s out there for bloggers, nobody’s actually telling anyone else how to not be shit. Or they were, because this ties in perfectly with January’s which-website-features-make-you-want-to-shoot-the-Internet post, which got you all talking quite a… Continue reading

DISCUSS., Internet, Lists, May 2013, My Chemical Romance (get a category), THE WORLD *head in hands*

Blogger, blogging, Facebook, How To Not Write a Shit Blog, Indifferent Ignorance, Internet, Tumblr, Webby Award, Website, WordPress, WordPress.com

Let’s close the door on the rest of the internet.

Francesca Astraea here.

When I began this blog in 2009, I was a teenager. That’s why you’ll find some posts have been hidden behind a paywall. I was an incredibly different, less eloquent person when I was a teen, so if you want to read the thoughts of that teenager, you can join the No. 1 Readers’ Club for access.

What will you find here now?

This blog continues to evolve with me. My favourite topics are books and reading, travel adventures, the extensive works of up and coming rock band My Chemical Romance and the occasional update about my life and work as an author and scriptwriter. I’m also interested in digital minimalism, how we can solve environmental issues and why it’s probably a better idea to make a cup of tea than it is to shout at people you disagree with.

Speaking of tea… Make a cup and settle in.

Leave a comment on posts to continue the conversation and tell me your favourite MCR song! Oh, and while you’re here: this is a no-gen-AI household. You may not put any of my posts through an LLM. If you’re going to email me or write a comment, do it yourself.

Here’s how we can stay in touch:

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WordPress

How to actually support your favourite indie creators and small businesses in 2026

The Elephant in the Screen

Explaining the Internet Slowdown (and protesting so you might not be able to read it)

How To Not Write a Shit Blog