diff --git a/511image.mu b/511image.mu
index 7d4127f4..f2df9424 100644
--- a/511image.mu
+++ b/511image.mu
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ fn render-image screen: (addr screen), _img: (addr image), xmin: int, ymin: int,
     render-raw-image screen, img2, xmin, ymin, width, height
     return
   }
-  abort "render-image: unrecognized image type"
+#?   abort "render-image: unrecognized image type"
 }
 
 ## helpers
diff --git a/browse-slack/environment.mu b/browse-slack/environment.mu
index 8f68a3fa..123e3803 100644
--- a/browse-slack/environment.mu
+++ b/browse-slack/environment.mu
@@ -19,7 +19,77 @@ type tab {
                        # the current page at
 }
 
-fn render-environment env: (addr environment), users: (addr array user), channels: (addr array channel), items: (addr array item) {
+# static buffer sizes in this file:
+#   item-padding-hor          # in pixels
+#   item-padding-ver          # in characters
+#   avatar-side               # in pixels
+#   avatar-space-hor          # in characters
+#   author-name-padding-ver   # in characters
+#   post-right-coord          # in characters
+
+fn render-environment screen: (addr screen), env: (addr environment), users: (addr array user), channels: (addr array channel), _items: (addr array item) {
+  clear-screen screen
+  var tmp-width/eax: int <- copy 0
+  var tmp-height/ecx: int <- copy 0
+  tmp-width, tmp-height <- screen-size screen
+  var screen-height: int
+  copy-to screen-height, tmp-height
+  #
+  var y/ecx: int <- copy 1/item-padding-ver
+  var items/esi: (addr array item) <- copy _items
+  var i/ebx: int <- copy 0
+  var max/edx: int <- length items
+  {
+    compare i, max
+    break-if->=
+    compare y, screen-height
+    break-if->=
+    var offset/eax: (offset item) <- compute-offset items, i
+    var curr-item/eax: (addr item) <- index items, offset
+    y <- render-item screen, curr-item, users, y, screen-height
+    i <- increment
+    loop
+  }
+}
+
+fn render-item screen: (addr screen), _item: (addr item), _users: (addr array user), y: int, screen-height: int -> _/ecx: int {
+  var item/esi: (addr item) <- copy _item
+  var users/edi: (addr array user) <- copy _users
+  var author-index-addr/ecx: (addr int) <- get item, by
+  var author-index/ecx: int <- copy *author-index-addr
+  var author-offset/ecx: (offset user) <- compute-offset users, author-index
+  var author/ecx: (addr user) <- index users, author-offset
+  # author avatar
+  var author-avatar/ebx: (addr image) <- get author, avatar
+  {
+    compare author-avatar, 0
+    break-if-=
+    var y/edx: int <- copy y
+    y <- shift-left 4/log2font-height
+    render-image screen, author-avatar, 0x18/item-padding-hor, y, 0x50/avatar-side, 0x50/avatar-side
+  }
+  # author name
+  var author-real-name-ah/eax: (addr handle array byte) <- get author, real-name
+  var author-real-name/eax: (addr array byte) <- lookup *author-real-name-ah
+  set-cursor-position screen, 0x10/avatar-space-hor, y
+  draw-text-wrapping-right-then-down-from-cursor-over-full-screen screen, author-real-name, 0xf/white 0/black
+  increment y
+  # text
+  var text-ah/eax: (addr handle array byte) <- get item, text
+  var _text/eax: (addr array byte) <- lookup *text-ah
+  var text/edx: (addr array byte) <- copy _text
+  var x/eax: int <- copy 0x10/avatar-space-hor
+  var text-y/ecx: int <- copy y
+  text-y <- add 1/author-name-padding-ver
+  x, text-y <- draw-text-wrapping-right-then-down screen, text, x text-y, 0x50/xmax=post-right-coord screen-height, x text-y, 7/fg 0/bg
+  # flush
+  add-to y, 6
+  compare y, text-y
+  {
+    break-if-<
+    return y
+  }
+  return text-y
 }
 
 fn update-environment env: (addr environment), key: byte {
diff --git a/browse-slack/main.mu b/browse-slack/main.mu
index 40ccbde4..153f3dfb 100644
--- a/browse-slack/main.mu
+++ b/browse-slack/main.mu
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ fn main screen: (addr screen), keyboard: (addr keyboard), data-disk: (addr disk)
   var env-storage: environment
   var env/ebx: (addr environment) <- address env-storage
   {
-    render-environment env, users, channels, items
+    render-environment screen, env, users, channels, items
     {
       var key/eax: byte <- read-key keyboard
       compare key, 0