diff --git a/text_rendering/atlas.png b/text_rendering/atlas.png
index c1e59c6..754a74d 100644
Binary files a/text_rendering/atlas.png and b/text_rendering/atlas.png differ
diff --git a/text_rendering/font.c b/text_rendering/font.c
index 0188c43..c50ac54 100644
--- a/text_rendering/font.c
+++ b/text_rendering/font.c
@@ -123,14 +123,19 @@ const struct font_glyph * font_get_glyph_texture(struct font_atlas *atlas, unsig
 		atlas->priv.scale,
 		2.0f/glyph_h,
 		&atlas->priv.ctx);
-	if (!err)
-		return NULL;
+	// msdf_genGlyph returns 0 only when there are no contours, so only for
+	// whitespace and such, for those insert a zero uv map into the cache
+	// FIXME: this is a waste of space
+	if (!err) {
+		atlas->priv.msdf.width = 0;
+		atlas->priv.msdf.height = 0;
+	}
 
 
 	unsigned int spot = cache_get();
 	unsigned int oy   = (glyph_h * spot) / atlas->width;
 	unsigned int ox   = (glyph_h * spot) % atlas->height;
-	unsigned int w    = atlas->width; 
+	unsigned int w    = atlas->width;
 
 	// sum magic shit
 	struct {unsigned char r,g,b;} *a = (void *)atlas->atlas;
@@ -180,7 +185,7 @@ const struct font_glyph * font_get_glyph_texture(struct font_atlas *atlas, unsig
 void font_dump(const struct font_atlas *atlas, const char *path)
 {
 	stbi_write_png(
-		path, 
+		path,
 		//atlas->width,
 		//atlas->height,
 		128, 128,
diff --git a/text_rendering/ren.c b/text_rendering/ren.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90313c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/text_rendering/ren.c
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+#include <SDL2/SDL.h>
+#include <GL/glew.h>
+#include <SDL2/SDL_opengl.h>
+
+
+#define GLSL_VERT_SHADER "vertex.glsl"
+#define GLSL_FRAG_SHADER "fragment.glsl"
+#define PACKED __attribute__((packed))
+
+
+struct {
+	SDL_Window *w;
+	SDL_GLContext *gl;
+	GLuint gl_vertbuffer;
+	GLuint gl_program;
+	GLuint font_texture;
+} ren = {0};
+
+
+typedef struct PACKED {
+	union { GLint x, u; };
+	union { GLint y, v; };
+} vec2_i;
+
+typedef struct PACKED {
+	union { GLint x, r; };
+	union { GLint y, g; };
+	union { GLint z, b; };
+	union { GLint w, a; };
+} vec4_i;
+
+// textured vertex
+struct PACKED v_text {
+	vec2_i pos;
+	vec2_i uv;
+};
+
+// colored vertex
+struct PACKED v_col {
+	vec2_i pos;
+	vec2_i col;
+};
+
+
+// different stacks
+#define _STACK_NAME vtstack
+#define _STACK_TYPE struct v_text
+#include "stack.h"
+#undef _STACK_NAME
+#undef _STACK_TYPE
+#define _STACK_NAME vcstack
+#define _STACK_TYPE struct v_col
+#include "stack.h"
diff --git a/text_rendering/stack.h b/text_rendering/stack.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4074b1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/text_rendering/stack.h
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+#ifdef _STACK_TYPE
+#ifdef _STACK_NAME
+
+
+#ifndef _STACK_REALLOC
+	#define _STACK_REALLOC(p, s) realloc(p,s)
+#endif
+#ifndef _STACK_MEMSET
+	#define _STACK_MEMSET(p, c, s) memset(p,c,s)
+#endif
+#ifndef _STACK_STEP
+	#define _STACK_STEP 8
+#endif
+#ifndef _STACK_CAT
+	#define _STACK_CAT_I(a,b) a ## b
+	#define _STACK_CAT(a,b) _STACK_CAT_I(a,b)
+#endif
+
+
+// TODO: add a rolling hash
+struct _STACK_NAME {
+	_STACK_TYPE *items;
+	int size, idx;
+};
+
+
+int _STACK_CAT(stack_grow_,_STACK_NAME)(struct _STACK_NAME *stack, int step)
+{
+	if (!stack)
+		return -1;
+	stack->items = _STACK_REALLOC(stack->items, (stack->size+step)*sizeof(_STACK_TYPE));
+	if(!stack->items)
+		return -1;
+	_STACK_MEMSET(&(stack->items[stack->size]), 0, step*sizeof(*(stack->items)));
+	stack->size += step;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+
+int _STACK_CAT(stack_push_,_STACK_NAME)(struct _STACK_NAME *stack, _STACK_TYPE *e)
+{
+	if (!stack || !e)
+		return -1;
+	if (stack->idx >= stack->size)
+		if (_STACK_CAT(stack_grow_,_STACK_NAME)(stack, _STACK_STEP))
+			return -1;
+	stack->items[stack->idx++] = *e;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+
+int _STACK_CAT(stack_clear_,_STACK_NAME)(struct _STACK_NAME *stack)
+{
+	if (!stack)
+		return -1;
+	stack->idx = 0;
+}
+
+
+#endif
+#endif
diff --git a/text_rendering/test b/text_rendering/test
index 7ba4c45..69d543b 100755
Binary files a/text_rendering/test and b/text_rendering/test differ