diff --git a/src/Markdown.hs b/src/Markdown.hs
index e6fc411..48bb336 100644
--- a/src/Markdown.hs
+++ b/src/Markdown.hs
@@ -45,7 +45,15 @@ element =
       try htmlBlock <?> "HTML Block",
       paragraphBlock <?> "Paragarph"
     ]
-    <* blockEnding
+    -- a block is normally followed by a blank line or the end of input, but a
+    -- block that ends without one is the next block's problem rather than a
+    -- parse error for the whole document. requiring the ending here turned
+    -- "- a\n:" into a hard failure, because listItem has already eaten the
+    -- newline that blockEnding wants and the consumed input escapes document's
+    -- many. the try matters for the same reason optional isn't enough on its
+    -- own, blockEnding can consume one line ending before finding out there is
+    -- no second one.
+    <* optional (try blockEnding)
 
 lineEnding :: (Logger m, Characters s, HasCallStack) => Parser s m ()
 lineEnding = {-logCallStack *>-} ((try eof) <|> void newline)
@@ -137,7 +145,7 @@ fencedCodeBlock = between (string "```") (string "```") $ do
   language' <- T.pack <$> (many (notFollowedBy lineEnding *> anySingle))
   lineEnding
   code <- T.pack <$> (many ((notFollowedBy $ string "```") *> anySingle))
-  let language = if language' == "" then Just language' else Nothing
+  let language = if language' == "" then Nothing else Just language'
   pure $ Code (C {language, code}) mempty
 
 blockquoteBlock :: (Logger m, Characters s) => Parser s m Element
@@ -170,7 +178,11 @@ listBlock list_type prefix child_parser_factory nest_level = do
 
       optional ((notFollowedBy blockEnding) *> lineEnding)
 
-      child <- optional $ child_parser_factory $ nest_level + 1
+      -- the try is load bearing, optional only recovers from a failure that
+      -- consumed nothing and the child parser eats the next item's indentation
+      -- before finding out it belongs to this list's level rather than the
+      -- child's
+      child <- optional $ try $ child_parser_factory $ nest_level + 1
 
       case child of
         Just c -> pure $ LI {content = [Transparent content, List c mempty]}