diff --git a/src/pages/blog/index.astro b/src/pages/blog/index.astro
index 265e574..2dee0ab 100644
--- a/src/pages/blog/index.astro
+++ b/src/pages/blog/index.astro
@@ -2,14 +2,22 @@
 import Layout from "../../layouts/Layout.astro";
 import Section from "../../components/Section.astro";
 import PostList from "../../components/PostList.astro";
-import { getPosts, allTags } from "../../lib/blog";
+import { getPosts, allTags, formatDate } from "../../lib/blog";
+import { readingTime } from "../../lib/reading";
+import { series } from "../../data/series";
+import { site } from "../../data/site";
 
 const posts = await getPosts();
 const tags = allTags(posts);
+
+// Featured = the security-series opener when present, else the newest post.
+const featured = posts.find((p) => p.id === "secret-zero") ?? posts[0];
+const rest = posts.filter((p) => p.id !== featured.id);
+const featuredSeries = series[featured.id];
 ---
 
 <Layout title="Blog" path="/blog" description="Notes on platform engineering, edge Kubernetes, GPUs and homelab infrastructure.">
-  <Section id="blog" eyebrow="Writing" index="*" title="Notes from the platform.">
+  <Section id="blog" eyebrow={`~/${site.handle}/blog`} index="*" title="Notes from the build.">
     <p class="lead blog__intro" data-reveal>
       Lessons from edge Kubernetes, GPUs, and running infrastructure like it matters.
     </p>
@@ -23,7 +31,44 @@ const tags = allTags(posts);
       </nav>
     )}
 
-    <PostList posts={posts} />
+    {featured && (
+      <a class="featured" href={`/blog/${featured.id}/`} data-reveal>
+        <div class="featured__body">
+          <div class="featured__meta mono">
+            {featuredSeries && (
+              <span class="featured__series">
+                {featuredSeries.name} · {String(featuredSeries.number).padStart(2, "0")}
+              </span>
+            )}
+            <time datetime={featured.data.date.toISOString()}>{formatDate(featured.data.date)}</time>
+            <span class="featured__sep">·</span>
+            <span>{readingTime(featured.body)}</span>
+          </div>
+          <h3 class="featured__title">{featured.data.title}</h3>
+          <p class="featured__summary">{featured.data.summary}</p>
+          <ul class="featured__tags" role="list">
+            {featured.data.tags.map((t) => (
+              <li class="tag">{t}</li>
+            ))}
+          </ul>
+          <span class="featured__read mono">Read the post →</span>
+        </div>
+        {featured.data.hero && (
+          <div class="featured__art" aria-hidden="true">
+            <img
+              src={`${featured.data.hero}?v=2`}
+              alt=""
+              width="1600"
+              height="1073"
+              loading="eager"
+              decoding="async"
+            />
+          </div>
+        )}
+      </a>
+    )}
+
+    <PostList posts={rest} />
   </Section>
 </Layout>
 
@@ -49,4 +94,120 @@ const tags = allTags(posts);
     color: var(--text);
     text-decoration: none;
   }
+
+  /* featured card — text left, hero art right, scrimmed into the panel */
+  .featured {
+    position: relative;
+    display: grid;
+    grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1.1fr) minmax(0, 1fr);
+    background: var(--panel);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border-accent);
+    border-radius: 12px;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    color: inherit;
+    text-decoration: none;
+    backdrop-filter: var(--panel-blur);
+    -webkit-backdrop-filter: var(--panel-blur);
+    margin-bottom: var(--space-6);
+    transition:
+      border-color 180ms var(--ease),
+      box-shadow 180ms var(--ease);
+  }
+  .featured:hover {
+    text-decoration: none;
+    border-color: var(--border-accent-hover);
+    box-shadow: var(--glow-card);
+  }
+  .featured__body {
+    padding: var(--space-6);
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: var(--space-3);
+    position: relative;
+    z-index: 1;
+  }
+  .featured__meta {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    flex-wrap: wrap;
+    gap: 0.5rem;
+    font-size: 0.72rem;
+    color: var(--text-faint);
+  }
+  .featured__series {
+    color: var(--accent-2);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border-magenta);
+    border-radius: 3px;
+    padding: 2px 7px;
+    letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+    font-size: 0.66rem;
+  }
+  .featured__sep {
+    opacity: 0.6;
+  }
+  .featured__title {
+    margin: 0;
+    font-family: var(--font-display);
+    font-size: var(--step-2);
+    font-weight: 600;
+    color: var(--text-strong);
+    letter-spacing: -0.01em;
+  }
+  .featured__summary {
+    margin: 0;
+    color: var(--text-dim);
+    font-size: var(--step-0);
+    line-height: 1.65;
+    text-wrap: pretty;
+  }
+  .featured__tags {
+    list-style: none;
+    padding: 0;
+    margin: var(--space-2) 0 0;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-wrap: wrap;
+    gap: 0.4rem;
+  }
+  .featured__read {
+    margin-top: auto;
+    padding-top: var(--space-3);
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    color: var(--accent);
+  }
+  .featured__art {
+    position: relative;
+    min-height: 280px;
+  }
+  .featured__art img {
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    object-fit: cover;
+  }
+  /* scrim the art into the panel from the text side */
+  .featured__art::before {
+    content: "";
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    z-index: 1;
+    background: linear-gradient(90deg, var(--panel-solid) 0%, transparent 45%);
+  }
+  [data-theme="light"] .featured__art::before {
+    background: linear-gradient(90deg, var(--panel-solid) 0%, transparent 45%);
+    opacity: 0.85;
+  }
+
+  @media (max-width: 860px) {
+    .featured {
+      grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+    }
+    .featured__art {
+      order: -1;
+      min-height: 200px;
+    }
+    .featured__art::before {
+      background: linear-gradient(180deg, transparent 55%, var(--panel-solid) 100%);
+    }
+  }
 </style>