The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling
Mar. 11th, 2026 03:53 pm
Gyre explores the tunnels of an alien world in a mechanical suit, her only connection to the outside world the voice of Em, her handler who she’s never met, who may or may not have her welfare in mind, and who definitely has boundary issues.
Gyre has less experience caving than she claimed, and caving is extremely difficult. There are sandworm-like creatures called Tunnelers that will kill multiple parties of cavers for unknown reasons, so cavers go in alone, unable to take off their suit for weeks on end, with their handler as their only link with the outside world. Em can literally take control of Gyre’s suit/body, can inject her with drugs, etc - and not only has little compunction about doing so, but won't tell Gyre what the actual purpose of the mission is.
Spoilers! ( Read more... )
This is a type of story I don’t see very often, in which there’s one main science fiction element – in this case, the mechanical caving suit – which is explored in depth and is essential to the story, and it’s also set on a (very lightly sketched-in) other planet. Generally the “one science fiction element” stories are set on Earth. Apart from the Tunnelers, this novel actually could take place on an Earth where the suit exists.
The Luminous Dead, like The Starving Saints, has a small cast of sapphic women and takes place almost entirely in the same claustrophobic space; if it was on TV, we’d call it a bottle episode. I normally like that sort of thing but unlike The Starving Saints, it outstays its welcome. It has about a novella’s worth of story, and while it’s very atmospheric and any given portion is well-written and interesting, considered alone, as a whole it’s very repetitive and over-long. I would mostly recommend it if you like complicated lesbians with bad boundaries.
Me-and-media update
Mar. 12th, 2026 09:46 amPrevious poll review
In the Being an audience poll, 41.3% of respondents have been to the cinema in the last six months, 28.3% to the theatre, and 17.4% to a live music gig. I'm curious about the 10.9% who chose "other".
In ticky-boxes, bakery treats came second to hugs, 60.9% to 73.9%, which is an excellent showing. Snow puppies came third with 47.8%. Thank you for your votes! ♥
Reading
Andrew and I finished Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, so now I know what
minoanmiss meant by SHOPPING TRIP. *takes a moment* Anyway, it was great. I love Bujold's character work and her humour. Looking forward to the next one and getting to know Miles.
Kdramas
Still re-watching One Spring Night, lol. I made a flaily post about it a few days ago, but then realised that my "realisations" were actually explained in the next few scenes, so I don't know if I'm seeing the show differently or just remembering info I learned from the first time around. I've since privated the post, but if you've seen OSN and want to talk to me about it, please do!! I am mildly obsessed.
I also started Undercover Miss Hong on
adore's rec. I'm in the middle of episode 2, and it's great so far. It reminds me of Good Manager (AKA Chief Kim) to the point where I checked if it was the same writer (it isn't), and otoh, the lead is played by Park Shin-hye, who was the nun in the "nun undercover as her twin brother in a boyband" drama, You're Beautiful, which was my gateway drug into the world of Kdramas, so in a way it feels like coming full circle. (Here, she's undercover as a 20yo.)
Other TV
We finished the Return of the King extras (omg, so stressful!). Still watching The Pitt, of course, though I really think it works better all in a bunch, rather than one episode a week. (I won't say "binged", because the most we ever manage is three episodes a night -- that's a lot for us.)
Happened to notice that Cheers is on Neon (NZ streaming service, incl. some HBO), and randomly started watching it -- it's aged surprisingly well! Very white, and the sexism vs feminism tension is front and centre, but Sam is fine, and everyone seems to be having a good time. We'll stick with that for a while and see.
The pilot of R.J. Decker, a new PI show loosely based on a Carl Hiaasen novel. It's very network TV, case-of-the-week and easy-going. Good supporting cast. Seems fine. A few episodes of Ponies, about two CIA widows trying to be spies in cold war Russia. They don't have much trade craft yet, so it's equal parts comedic and tense. Half an episode of SurrealEstate.
My sister and I are still on Fringe season 4, in which the entire multiverse revolves around Peter; I prefer Lincoln. And we watched some Bluey, naturally. Just finished season 1 and started season 2. 🧡💙🧡
Audio entertainment
All the usual suspects. More Movie Briefs, more local politics. And the episode of A Bit Fruity recced by
sabotabby (who gives excellent podcast recs, btw). A Tech Won't Save Us episode about The Luddite Club. A bit of Ad Astra about pacing. I think I'm spending too much time listening to podcasts.
Online life
The 520 Day Guardian Reverse Exchange is coming soon!! We've been doing some behind-the-scenes prep for that. And wheeeee, I won a Fandom Trumps Hate auction (my first time bidding) -- so exciting!!
Writing/making things
Still bashing my head against the two things I started for Yuletide. It would be fantastic to get these off my plate before I get my 520 Day assignment and have to redecorate my brain in Guardian. *plugs away* (I feel like my intuition is offline, and I'm having to figure everything out with my inept thinking brain, why?)
In drawing, I did a practice pic of Zhao Yunlan, and wow, expressions are hard; the difference between worried and scared is, like, a millimetre here, a millimetre there...
Life/health/mental state things
The tsunami of ambient stress is making itself felt in my body. When I bought my new phone, I somehow got six months' free premium Fitbit membership again, so I tried wearing my Fitbit to sleep, to build up a data profile. And yep, an "objective" poor rating makes a subjective bad night's sleep feel so much worse. That's why I stopped doing this last time! So I've stopped again. Also, my resting pulse rate was going up and up for a while there. /o\
Had my free breast-squish day.
Goals
I did not do my goal things from last week. Ah well.
Good things
Sunshine. New (second-hand) red bag arrived this week; I don't think it's as waterproof as advertised, but it's a step up from my sponge of a handbag. Showers and kitties and going out to lunch. Biking and bike lanes. The Bingo fanart I received in
fandomtrees continues to be cheering/soothing. GUARDIAN!!
In the Being an audience poll, 41.3% of respondents have been to the cinema in the last six months, 28.3% to the theatre, and 17.4% to a live music gig. I'm curious about the 10.9% who chose "other".
In ticky-boxes, bakery treats came second to hugs, 60.9% to 73.9%, which is an excellent showing. Snow puppies came third with 47.8%. Thank you for your votes! ♥
Reading
Andrew and I finished Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, so now I know what
Kdramas
Still re-watching One Spring Night, lol. I made a flaily post about it a few days ago, but then realised that my "realisations" were actually explained in the next few scenes, so I don't know if I'm seeing the show differently or just remembering info I learned from the first time around. I've since privated the post, but if you've seen OSN and want to talk to me about it, please do!! I am mildly obsessed.
I also started Undercover Miss Hong on
Other TV
We finished the Return of the King extras (omg, so stressful!). Still watching The Pitt, of course, though I really think it works better all in a bunch, rather than one episode a week. (I won't say "binged", because the most we ever manage is three episodes a night -- that's a lot for us.)
Happened to notice that Cheers is on Neon (NZ streaming service, incl. some HBO), and randomly started watching it -- it's aged surprisingly well! Very white, and the sexism vs feminism tension is front and centre, but Sam is fine, and everyone seems to be having a good time. We'll stick with that for a while and see.
The pilot of R.J. Decker, a new PI show loosely based on a Carl Hiaasen novel. It's very network TV, case-of-the-week and easy-going. Good supporting cast. Seems fine. A few episodes of Ponies, about two CIA widows trying to be spies in cold war Russia. They don't have much trade craft yet, so it's equal parts comedic and tense. Half an episode of SurrealEstate.
My sister and I are still on Fringe season 4, in which the entire multiverse revolves around Peter; I prefer Lincoln. And we watched some Bluey, naturally. Just finished season 1 and started season 2. 🧡💙🧡
Audio entertainment
All the usual suspects. More Movie Briefs, more local politics. And the episode of A Bit Fruity recced by
Online life
The 520 Day Guardian Reverse Exchange is coming soon!! We've been doing some behind-the-scenes prep for that. And wheeeee, I won a Fandom Trumps Hate auction (my first time bidding) -- so exciting!!
Writing/making things
Still bashing my head against the two things I started for Yuletide. It would be fantastic to get these off my plate before I get my 520 Day assignment and have to redecorate my brain in Guardian. *plugs away* (I feel like my intuition is offline, and I'm having to figure everything out with my inept thinking brain, why?)
In drawing, I did a practice pic of Zhao Yunlan, and wow, expressions are hard; the difference between worried and scared is, like, a millimetre here, a millimetre there...
Life/health/mental state things
The tsunami of ambient stress is making itself felt in my body. When I bought my new phone, I somehow got six months' free premium Fitbit membership again, so I tried wearing my Fitbit to sleep, to build up a data profile. And yep, an "objective" poor rating makes a subjective bad night's sleep feel so much worse. That's why I stopped doing this last time! So I've stopped again. Also, my resting pulse rate was going up and up for a while there. /o\
Had my free breast-squish day.
Goals
I did not do my goal things from last week. Ah well.
Good things
Sunshine. New (second-hand) red bag arrived this week; I don't think it's as waterproof as advertised, but it's a step up from my sponge of a handbag. Showers and kitties and going out to lunch. Biking and bike lanes. The Bingo fanart I received in
Poll #34352 Fitness trackers
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47
Do you use a fitness tracker to monitor your activity?
View Answers
yes, regularly
9 (19.1%)
yes, sometimes
2 (4.3%)
...and an app
5 (10.6%)
I use the pedometer on my phone
8 (17.0%)
no, but I used to
6 (12.8%)
no, but I'm thinking about starting
1 (2.1%)
other no
21 (44.7%)
other
1 (2.1%)
ticky-box full of "I genuflect to the sanctity of the ticky-box"
20 (42.6%)
ticky-box full of otters building obstacle courses
24 (51.1%)
ticky-box of FANDOM SPARKLES
27 (57.4%)
ticky-box full of bears baking blueberry and salmon muffins
21 (44.7%)
ticky-box full of hugs hugs hugs
33 (70.2%)
It may be an amiable egg
Mar. 11th, 2026 08:19 pm"A nice fried egg, sir."
"And what, pray, do you mean by nice? It may be an amiable egg. It may be a civil, well-meaning egg. But if you think it is fit for human consumption, adjust that impression."
—PG Wodehouse,"Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo"
Stranger Things: Problems of a Follicular Nature, by insignificant457
Mar. 11th, 2026 10:42 amFandom: Stranger Things
Pairings/Characters: Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson
Rating: G
Length: 2,489 words
Creator Link:
insignificant457
Theme: Siblings, Gen
Summary: "See, the problem is this: in the past few weeks there's been a distressing increase in the thickness and darkness of the peach fuzz on his upper lip, to the point that it's becoming noticeable and also gross. He should be happy about it, really, because it's a sign of manhood, isn't it?"
Sometimes, not having a dad around really, really sucks. But recently acquiring a big brother does have its perks.
Reccer's Notes: As the author says, "They're brothers your honor." I love the way Steve and Dustin adopted each other in the show, and this fic feels like it could be a missing scene. The voices are spot on, and the vibes are good.
Fanwork Link: Problems of a Follicular Nature
Pairings/Characters: Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson
Rating: G
Length: 2,489 words
Creator Link:
Theme: Siblings, Gen
Summary: "See, the problem is this: in the past few weeks there's been a distressing increase in the thickness and darkness of the peach fuzz on his upper lip, to the point that it's becoming noticeable and also gross. He should be happy about it, really, because it's a sign of manhood, isn't it?"
Sometimes, not having a dad around really, really sucks. But recently acquiring a big brother does have its perks.
Reccer's Notes: As the author says, "They're brothers your honor." I love the way Steve and Dustin adopted each other in the show, and this fic feels like it could be a missing scene. The voices are spot on, and the vibes are good.
Fanwork Link: Problems of a Follicular Nature
Plant: Collage: Original: House + Garden
Mar. 11th, 2026 05:09 pmTitle: House + Garden
Fandom: Original
Rating: G
Length: Collage of 9 photos
Summary: Plants both within our house and in the back garden
Fandom: Original
Rating: G
Length: Collage of 9 photos
Summary: Plants both within our house and in the back garden
( Plants )
3/9/2026 Tilden Nature Area
Mar. 9th, 2026 08:58 pmWe all started out this morning, but Chris had to leave early, so I met only U at Jewel Lake. She got there first, which I don't recall happenning before, but Lower Packrat was wonderfully active and I stopped to listen and look many times. The California Towhees were "singing", which I love though it's not melodic. I heard several Allen's Hummingbirds' diving wing whirr and watched one flying their display pattern, so that was a treat. The Wilson's Warblers have arrived! One was reported yesterday so we were expecting them, but it still took me a moment to recognize their song after so long. ( The list: )
Biggest surprise of the morning: when I got to the Lake U told me there was a Common Goldeneye! We used to get several species besides Mallard on the Lake in Winter, but now it's unusual and exciting.
Biggest surprise of the morning: when I got to the Lake U told me there was a Common Goldeneye! We used to get several species besides Mallard on the Lake in Winter, but now it's unusual and exciting.
Challenge 509: Plant
Mar. 11th, 2026 04:44 pmOur new challenge is:
As always, you can interpret the prompt literally or figuratively, in whatever way works for you.
Each work created for this challenge should be posted as a new entry to the comm. Posting starts now and continues up until the challenge ends at 4pm Pacific Time on Friday, 20th March. No sign-up required.
Mods will tag your work for fandom. When you've posted entries to three consecutive challenges, you will earn a name tag, and we'll go back and tag all your previous entries with your name, as well.
All kinds of fanworks in all fandoms are welcome. Please have a look at our guidelines before you play. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact a mod. And if you have any suggestions for future challenges, you can leave them in the comments of this post.
You can view stats for
fan_flashworks entries and search and filter them via the Community Report and Creator Report. See our FAQ post for more details.
Also, keep an eye out for the next
ffw_social post, which will go up in the next couple of days. If you haven't joined the
ffw_social comm, it's never too late to come and check it out. (Posts are locked, which means you have to join to see them.)
PLANT
As always, you can interpret the prompt literally or figuratively, in whatever way works for you.
Each work created for this challenge should be posted as a new entry to the comm. Posting starts now and continues up until the challenge ends at 4pm Pacific Time on Friday, 20th March. No sign-up required.
Mods will tag your work for fandom. When you've posted entries to three consecutive challenges, you will earn a name tag, and we'll go back and tag all your previous entries with your name, as well.
All kinds of fanworks in all fandoms are welcome. Please have a look at our guidelines before you play. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact a mod. And if you have any suggestions for future challenges, you can leave them in the comments of this post.
You can view stats for
Also, keep an eye out for the next
Admin: Challenge closed
Mar. 11th, 2026 04:39 pmThe Anticipation challenge is now closed. Here are the entries:
The Professionals: Fanfiction: Sexy Sunday by
lucy_roman
FAKE: Fanfic: The Big Jump by
badly_knitted
Doctor Who: Fanfiction: Cloudbound Dreaming by
infinitum_noctem
Culture Club: Fanfic: Six Hats and a Suitcase by
midnight_heavenly_bodies
The Double: fanfic: some fences will forever stay unmended by
teaotter
Viola come il mare: Fanfic: First Date by
veronyxk84
Spooks (MI5): Fanfic: An Unexpected Situation by
smallhobbit
Torchwood: Fanfic: Desperate times by
m_findlow
9-1-1: Fan Fiction: Worth It by
darkjediqueen
Crash Fever: Fanart: in the digital rain by
x95
Ponies (TV 2026): Fanfic: waiting for someone else by
alasse_irena
Marvel 1610 (comics): icons: Step into my Parlor by
highlander_ii
Fanservice Paradox: Fanfic: the rise of the wall (in the future, things will happen) by
bluedreaming
\o/ \o/ \o/
Thank you to everyone who participated! You're now free to post your entries to your journal or wherever else you'd like. If you're archiving on AO3, you can add your work to our fan_flashworks collection there.
The Community Report and Creator Report will be updated shortly with the entries from this round. See our FAQ for more details.
Next challenge is on its way.
The Professionals: Fanfiction: Sexy Sunday by
FAKE: Fanfic: The Big Jump by
Doctor Who: Fanfiction: Cloudbound Dreaming by
Culture Club: Fanfic: Six Hats and a Suitcase by
The Double: fanfic: some fences will forever stay unmended by
Viola come il mare: Fanfic: First Date by
Spooks (MI5): Fanfic: An Unexpected Situation by
Torchwood: Fanfic: Desperate times by
9-1-1: Fan Fiction: Worth It by
Crash Fever: Fanart: in the digital rain by
Ponies (TV 2026): Fanfic: waiting for someone else by
Marvel 1610 (comics): icons: Step into my Parlor by
Fanservice Paradox: Fanfic: the rise of the wall (in the future, things will happen) by
\o/ \o/ \o/
Thank you to everyone who participated! You're now free to post your entries to your journal or wherever else you'd like. If you're archiving on AO3, you can add your work to our fan_flashworks collection there.
The Community Report and Creator Report will be updated shortly with the entries from this round. See our FAQ for more details.
Next challenge is on its way.
Daily Happiness
Mar. 10th, 2026 07:28 pm1. I fried up some frozen croquettes to go with the leftover curry tonight and they were so good. Nothing like a crispy croquette fresh from the frying oil!
2. I was worried that daylight savings might throw me off my morning schedule, since I did wake up an hour late on Sunday, but yesterday and today I've woken up at my usual time, despite it technically being an hour earlier now, so fingers crossed that it continues. I like the time I wake up now because it gives me plenty of time to take a long morning walk, do all my morning chores, and have breakfast without even feeling the least bit rushed about starting work, and I really don't want to have to be waking up with an alarm in order to do that.
3. The annoying lady at work who recently moved into my office and was at the desk next to mine messaged me Friday that she is leaving the company and Monday would be her last day and she was sorry she wouldn't see me to tell me in person. I don't like, hate her or anything, but she is just low level annoying, and as seen by her text, for some reason thinks that we are closer friends than we are, so I am glad that she will no longer be at the desk next to mine.
4. I haven't seen Tuxie around today, but hopefully he will come around tomorrow like nothing happened and lounge on his cardboard scratcher again.

2. I was worried that daylight savings might throw me off my morning schedule, since I did wake up an hour late on Sunday, but yesterday and today I've woken up at my usual time, despite it technically being an hour earlier now, so fingers crossed that it continues. I like the time I wake up now because it gives me plenty of time to take a long morning walk, do all my morning chores, and have breakfast without even feeling the least bit rushed about starting work, and I really don't want to have to be waking up with an alarm in order to do that.
3. The annoying lady at work who recently moved into my office and was at the desk next to mine messaged me Friday that she is leaving the company and Monday would be her last day and she was sorry she wouldn't see me to tell me in person. I don't like, hate her or anything, but she is just low level annoying, and as seen by her text, for some reason thinks that we are closer friends than we are, so I am glad that she will no longer be at the desk next to mine.
4. I haven't seen Tuxie around today, but hopefully he will come around tomorrow like nothing happened and lounge on his cardboard scratcher again.

another big swing from a young hitter
Mar. 10th, 2026 10:08 pmI don't love that Nolan McLean gave up 2 home runs in the same inning in this game, but I do love that Team Italia celebrates with an Armani blazer and an espresso (they literally have an espresso machine in the dugout and if someone hits a homer, he gets a shot) and then the team captain kisses the guy while everyone else does this: 🤌
*
Work is currently bananas. Listen, I have a whole document I wrote on how to change/streamline board stuff to foster discussion and engagement, but we were supposed to do it methodically and not implement it until the June meeting, except now we are doing it NOW, and everything got upended in the stupidest way possible. I maybe kind of couldn't control how irritated I am about it because it is basically making me do double the amount of work and is seems to me like it is just going to achieve the exact opposite of what we want it to, but apparently this is coming directly from the new board chair. I told my boss that if I am right, and that this doesn't do what they think it is going to, I might not say it, but I will be thinking the world's biggest "I told you so." And she was like, that's fair. Sigh.
*
*
Work is currently bananas. Listen, I have a whole document I wrote on how to change/streamline board stuff to foster discussion and engagement, but we were supposed to do it methodically and not implement it until the June meeting, except now we are doing it NOW, and everything got upended in the stupidest way possible. I maybe kind of couldn't control how irritated I am about it because it is basically making me do double the amount of work and is seems to me like it is just going to achieve the exact opposite of what we want it to, but apparently this is coming directly from the new board chair. I told my boss that if I am right, and that this doesn't do what they think it is going to, I might not say it, but I will be thinking the world's biggest "I told you so." And she was like, that's fair. Sigh.
*
[127] RESIDENT EVIL (various)
Mar. 10th, 2026 09:27 pm---RESIDENT EVIL 4 (REMAKE)
[x]55 leon scott kennedy
[x]3o luis serra
[x]o2 leon & luis
[x]o2 ingrid hunnigan
---RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS
[x]23 leon scott kennedy
---RESIDENT EVIL 6
[x]o6 leon scott kennedy
[x]o9 helena harper

( i have no good cut text for this )
[x]55 leon scott kennedy
[x]3o luis serra
[x]o2 leon & luis
[x]o2 ingrid hunnigan
---RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS
[x]23 leon scott kennedy
---RESIDENT EVIL 6
[x]o6 leon scott kennedy
[x]o9 helena harper

( i have no good cut text for this )
the pitt; s2 robby/abbot + noah & shawn icons
Mar. 10th, 2026 05:07 pm[12] The Pitt Robby/Abbot icons
[3] Noah Wyle & Shawn Hatosy icons
[3] Noah Wyle & Shawn Hatosy icons
