Lists – Marked for Plot

Morally Bankrupt Protagonists I Fell in Love With

As a 6th grade English teacher, one of the first units I teach every year focuses on characters. We do a recap of things they should have learned in elementary school, how to cite textual evidence, and a few other basic skills they’ll need in middle school. My favorite part of the unit, however, is showing them stories where the main character isn’t necessarily a ‘good’ person. While I love a protagonist I can unapologetically root for, I’ve found that I often can’t stop thinking about characters who are a bit more complicated.

So, here are some of my favorite characters that kept me up at night. They’re complex, charismatic, and addictively readable. When thinking about my all-time top 10, four currently appear on this list. You’ll find redemption, unapologetic villainy, and everything in between.

Queer Books Not About Falling in Love

Valentine’s Day has never particularly interested me. I like anniversaries much more to celebrate a relationship. When I was single it felt stupid and corny, and when partnered I found that anniversaries felt more meaningful. It helps that anniversaries (usually) don’t involve fighting with a bunch of other couples for a restaurant reservation. As I started reading more Fantasy and Science Fiction, I quickly discovered that most books with Queer protagonists tended to focus on romance plotlines, Achillean books even moreso. As an avid Genre-Romance reader, I’m a big fan of love stories, but I also love seeing books about Queer folks living life, tackling evil dictators, and doing grand acts of magic.

This is a list of Queer books I love that don’t feature major romance plotlines. Some of these might feature established relationships, others may have romantic elements that don’t have a traditional happy ending (or are so minor to be unremarked on), or are unconcerned with romantic bonds altogether. You’ll find everything from popcorn action stories to thematically ambitious literature here, so hopefully you find something interesting if you’re looking to scratch your anti-Valentine’s day itch!

r/Fantasy 2025 Bingo Card #2 – Comics and Graphic Novels

For the past three years, I’ve taught middle and high schoolers classes on reading and creating comics and graphic novels. What started as an impulsive decision quickly spun into a rekindling of my childhood love of sequential art. I grew up reading manga (unsurprisingly, I read a fairly equal balance of Shoenn and Shoujo; truly we gays get the best of both worlds) and finding my footing in what I like and dislike as an adult has been a fun adventure. Around November, I realized it would be pretty feasible for me to complete a bingo card comprised entirely of graphic novels. Some of these I read for school, others for personal enjoyment, and a few to explore things outside my perceived comfort zone.

Reviews are organized according to vibe so you can find the type of comic you’d enjoy, with my favorites within each category further towards the top. I anticipate that this is a challenge I’ll continue to pursue, though I think I’ll probably just read what’s interesting and see where the pieces fall for future years. Enjoy!

12 Books I’m Prioritizing in 2026

I am a sidequest reader who frequently gets distracted by the shiny new recommendation that magically jumps to the top of my TBR. I don’t dislike this about myself; most of my favorite reads from 2025 were not at all on my radar before the year started. However, I find that picking a few titles I know I want to try helps keep me from putting interesting books on the treadmill of procrastination for too long, and to ensure promising new titles actually get read.

Here are 12 books I’m committing to reading at some point in the year 2026. While there would be some beauty to me reading exactly one every month, I know myself too well to try and commit to that plan. Some of these I’m confident that I’ll love, others are risks I’m excited to take, but all have taken root in the back of my brain and won’t let up until I finally buy myself a copy.