diff --git a/108write.subx b/108write.subx
index 988e21db..84060c62 100644
--- a/108write.subx
+++ b/108write.subx
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ write:  # f: fd or (addr stream byte), s: (addr array byte)
     # . prologue
     55/push-ebp
     89/copy                         3/mod/direct    5/rm32/ebp    .           .             .           4/r32/esp   .               .                 # copy esp to ebp
+    # if (s == 0) return
+    81          7/subop/compare     1/mod/*+disp8   5/rm32/ebp    .           .             .           .           0xc/disp8       0/imm32           # compare *(ebp+12)
+    74/jump-if-=  $write:end/disp8
     # if (f < 0x08000000) _write(f, s) and return  # f can't be a user-mode address, so treat it as a kernel file descriptor
     81          7/subop/compare     1/mod/*+disp8   5/rm32/ebp    .           .             .           .           8/disp8         0x08000000/imm32  # compare *(ebp+8)
     73/jump-if-addr>=  $write:fake/disp8
diff --git a/310copy-bytes.subx b/310copy-bytes.subx
index 7a90495b..eed337c0 100644
--- a/310copy-bytes.subx
+++ b/310copy-bytes.subx
@@ -113,3 +113,44 @@ test-stream-to-string:
     89/<- %esp 5/r32/ebp
     5d/pop-to-ebp
     c3/return
+
+# like stream-to-string but ignore surrounding quotes
+# we might do other stuff here later
+unquote-stream-to-string:  # in: (addr stream _), out: (addr handle array _)
+    # . prologue
+    55/push-ebp
+    89/<- %ebp 4/r32/esp
+    # . save registers
+    50/push-eax
+    51/push-ecx
+    52/push-edx
+    56/push-esi
+    # esi = s
+    8b/-> *(ebp+8) 6/r32/esi
+    # var len/ecx: int = s->write - s->read - 2
+    8b/-> *esi 1/r32/ecx
+    2b/subtract *(esi+4) 1/r32/ecx
+    81 7/subop/compare %ecx 2/imm32
+    7c/jump-if-< $unquote-stream-to-string:end/disp8
+    81 5/subop/subtract %ecx 2/imm32
+    # allocate
+    (allocate-array Heap %ecx *(ebp+0xc))
+    # var in/edx: (addr byte) = s->data + s->read + 1
+    8b/-> *(esi+4) 2/r32/edx
+    8d/copy-address *(esi+edx+0xd) 2/r32/edx  # Stream-data + 1
+    # var dest/eax: (addr byte) = data for out
+    8b/-> *(ebp+0xc) 0/r32/eax
+    (lookup *eax *(eax+4))  # => eax
+    8d/copy-address *(eax+4) 0/r32/eax
+    #
+    (copy-bytes %edx %eax %ecx)
+$unquote-stream-to-string:end:
+    # . restore registers
+    5e/pop-to-esi
+    5a/pop-to-edx
+    59/pop-to-ecx
+    58/pop-to-eax
+    # . epilogue
+    89/<- %esp 5/r32/ebp
+    5d/pop-to-ebp
+    c3/return
diff --git a/400.mu b/400.mu
index fb686e17..35fc88f0 100644
--- a/400.mu
+++ b/400.mu
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ sig new-buffered-file out: (addr handle buffered-file)
 sig stream-empty? s: (addr stream _) -> result/eax: boolean
 sig stream-full? s: (addr stream _) -> result/eax: boolean
 sig stream-to-string in: (addr stream _), out: (addr handle array _)
+sig unquote-stream-to-string in: (addr stream _), out: (addr handle array _)
 sig stream-first s: (addr stream byte) -> result/eax: byte
 sig stream-final s: (addr stream byte) -> result/eax: byte
 
diff --git a/apps/assort b/apps/assort
index b96e8bce..91e7ff23 100755
Binary files a/apps/assort and b/apps/assort differ
diff --git a/apps/braces b/apps/braces
index 658a2906..0a07736c 100755
Binary files a/apps/braces and b/apps/braces differ
diff --git a/apps/calls b/apps/calls
index ca22ce03..d5637096 100755
Binary files a/apps/calls and b/apps/calls differ
diff --git a/apps/crenshaw2-1 b/apps/crenshaw2-1
index 0b69e083..37f7b355 100755
Binary files a/apps/crenshaw2-1 and b/apps/crenshaw2-1 differ
diff --git a/apps/crenshaw2-1b b/apps/crenshaw2-1b
index 587b2655..75639828 100755
Binary files a/apps/crenshaw2-1b and b/apps/crenshaw2-1b differ
diff --git a/apps/dquotes b/apps/dquotes
index 71aac388..30d28e67 100755
Binary files a/apps/dquotes and b/apps/dquotes differ
diff --git a/apps/factorial b/apps/factorial
index c5676040..ebb0ba62 100755
Binary files a/apps/factorial and b/apps/factorial differ
diff --git a/apps/hex b/apps/hex
index 501feb40..198276d7 100755
Binary files a/apps/hex and b/apps/hex differ
diff --git a/apps/mu b/apps/mu
index d713a6eb..236b5d2a 100755
Binary files a/apps/mu and b/apps/mu differ
diff --git a/apps/pack b/apps/pack
index 79c773fb..070d0060 100755
Binary files a/apps/pack and b/apps/pack differ
diff --git a/apps/sigils b/apps/sigils
index d464f947..b6220832 100755
Binary files a/apps/sigils and b/apps/sigils differ
diff --git a/apps/survey b/apps/survey
index 24a7a699..893eb4f2 100755
Binary files a/apps/survey and b/apps/survey differ
diff --git a/apps/tests b/apps/tests
index f49cff1a..f43185f8 100755
Binary files a/apps/tests and b/apps/tests differ
diff --git a/apps/tile/main.mu b/apps/tile/main.mu
index d4f53535..08e6532b 100644
--- a/apps/tile/main.mu
+++ b/apps/tile/main.mu
@@ -77,12 +77,7 @@ fn test {
   initialize-environment-with-fake-screen env, 5, 0xa
   var g/eax: grapheme <- copy 0x22  # '"'
   process env, g
-  g <- copy 0x31  # '1'
-  process env, g
-  g <- copy 0x20  # space
-  process env, g
-  g <- copy 0x33  # '3'
-  process env, g
+  render env
 }
 
 fn repl {
diff --git a/apps/tile/rpn.mu b/apps/tile/rpn.mu
index 80ab47ae..cf0766b0 100644
--- a/apps/tile/rpn.mu
+++ b/apps/tile/rpn.mu
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ fn evaluate functions: (addr handle function), bindings: (addr table), scratch:
         break-if-!=
         var h: (handle array byte)
         var s/eax: (addr handle array byte) <- address h
-        stream-to-string curr-stream, s  # leak
+        unquote-stream-to-string curr-stream, s  # leak
         push-string-to-value-stack out, *s
         break $evaluate:process-word
       }
diff --git a/apps/tile/value-stack.mu b/apps/tile/value-stack.mu
index aae87c3d..7050442d 100644
--- a/apps/tile/value-stack.mu
+++ b/apps/tile/value-stack.mu
@@ -130,6 +130,8 @@ fn value-stack-max-width _self: (addr value-stack) -> result/eax: int {
       break-if-!=
       var s-ah/eax: (addr handle array byte) <- get g, text-data
       var s/eax: (addr array byte) <- lookup *s-ah
+      compare s, 0
+      break-if-=
       var w/eax: int <- length s
       compare w, out
       break-if-<=