diff --git a/src/grome/matrix.zig b/src/grome/matrix.zig
index c66fcd9..a6e004f 100644
--- a/src/grome/matrix.zig
+++ b/src/grome/matrix.zig
@@ -63,46 +63,52 @@ pub fn Matrix(comptime T: type) type {
         /// defines the size of the matrix
         size: Rect,
 
+        /// Specifies the zero value to display when reseting the matrix
+        zero: T,
+
         rowable: Rowable(T),
 
         /// init creates the chunk, storing the bytes in memory.
         pub fn initZero(gpa: Allocator, size: Rect) !@This() {
-            const data = try gpa.alloc(T, size.area());
-            @memset(data, mem.zeroes(T));
-            return .{ .data = data, .size = size, .rowable = .{ .rowFn = Matrix(T).row } };
+            return @This().init(gpa, mem.zeroes(T), size);
         }
 
         /// init creates the chunk, storing the bytes in memory.
         pub fn init(gpa: Allocator, zero: T, size: Rect) !@This() {
             const data = try gpa.alloc(T, size.area());
             @memset(data, zero);
-            return .{ .data = data, .size = size, .rowable = .{ .rowFn = Matrix(T).row } };
+            var val = @This(){ .data = data, .size = size, .zero = zero, .rowable = .{ .rowFn = Matrix(T).row } };
+            val.reset();
+            return val;
+        }
+
+        /// reset sets all values in the matrix back to the zero value.
+        pub fn reset(self: *@This()) void {
+            @memset(self.data, self.zero);
         }
 
         /// deinit frees the memory utilized to create the chunk
-        pub fn deinit(self: *@This(), gpa: Allocator) void {
+        pub fn deinit(self: *const @This(), gpa: Allocator) void {
             gpa.free(self.data);
         }
 
         // set sets the value of the specified location in memory
         pub fn set(self: *@This(), loc: Point, val: T) !void {
-            if (loc.x >= self.size.width or loc.y >= self.size.height) {
-                std.debug.print("loc.x ({d}) >= self.size.width ({d}) or loc.y ({d}) >= self.size.height ({d})", .{ loc.x, self.size.width, loc.y, self.size.height });
-                return Error.OutOfBounds;
-            }
-
-            const index = (self.size.width * loc.y) + loc.x;
-            self.data[index] = val;
+            (try self.getPtr(loc)).* = val;
         }
 
         // set sets the value of the specified location in memory
-        pub fn get(self: *const @This(), loc: Point) !T {
+        pub fn getPtr(self: *const @This(), loc: Point) !*T {
             if (loc.x >= self.size.width or loc.y >= self.size.height) {
                 return Error.OutOfBounds;
             }
 
             const index = (self.size.width * loc.y) + loc.x;
-            return self.data[index];
+            return &self.data[index];
+        }
+
+        pub fn get(self: *const @This(), loc: Point) !T {
+            return (try self.getPtr(loc)).*;
         }
 
         /// submatrix returns a [SubMatrix]
@@ -164,19 +170,19 @@ pub fn SubMatrix(comptime T: type) type {
         }
 
         pub fn get(self: *const @This(), loc: Point) !T {
+            return (try self.getPtr(loc)).*;
+        }
+
+        pub fn getPtr(self: *const @This(), loc: Point) !*T {
             if (loc.x >= self._mask.width or loc.y >= self._mask.height) {
                 return Error.OutOfBounds;
             }
 
-            try self._m.get(self._offset.add(loc));
+            return self._m.getPtr(self._offset.add(loc));
         }
 
         pub fn set(self: *@This(), loc: Point, val: T) !void {
-            if (loc.x >= self._mask.width or loc.y >= self._mask.height) {
-                return Error.OutOfBounds;
-            }
-
-            try self._m.set(self._offset.add(loc), val);
+            (try self.getPtr(loc)).* = val;
         }
 
         pub fn row(interface: *Rowable(T), line: usize) ![]T {
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index f4e1f94..ecc1cf3 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -14,21 +14,38 @@ pub fn main(init: std.process.Init) !void {
     // Initialize the stdout writer
     var stdout_buffer: [1024]u8 = undefined;
     var stdout_file_writer: Io.File.Writer = .init(.stdout(), init.io, &stdout_buffer);
+    var w = &stdout_file_writer.interface;
 
     // alright lets play with the matrix
-    const size = Rect{ .height = 20, .width = 50 };
+    const size = Rect{ .height = 70, .width = 120 };
     var double_buf = try DoubleBuffer.init(arena, size);
+    defer double_buf.deinit(arena);
+    try double_buf.hard_refresh(w);
 
-    const density = size.area() / 100;
     while (true) {
-        var frame = double_buf.frame(.{ .x = 0, .y = 0 }, size);
-        for (0..density) |_| {
-            var buf: [3]u8 = undefined;
-            init.io.random(&buf);
-            try frame.set(.{ .x = @intCast(buf[0] % size.width), .y = @intCast(buf[1] % size.height) }, .{ .char = [_]u8{@intCast((buf[2] % 50) + 93)} ** 8, .width = 1 });
+        var frame = double_buf.frame(.{ .x = 0, .y = 10 }, .{ .height = 1, .width = 120 });
+        const row = try frame.rowable.row(0);
+        var fill_next: bool = false;
+        var unfilled: bool = true;
+
+        for (row) |*cell| {
+            if (cell.char[0] == '>') {
+                fill_next = true;
+                cell.char[0] = ' ';
+            } else {
+                if (fill_next) {
+                    fill_next = false;
+                    cell.char[0] = '>';
+                    unfilled = false;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        if (unfilled) {
+            row[0].char[0] = '>';
         }
 
-        _ = try double_buf.render(&stdout_file_writer.interface);
-        try init.io.sleep(Duration.fromMilliseconds(100), Clock.real);
+        try double_buf.refresh(w);
+        try w.flush();
+        try init.io.sleep(Duration.fromMilliseconds(10), Clock.real);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/view/draw.zig b/src/view/draw.zig
index 2a405f9..543843f 100644
--- a/src/view/draw.zig
+++ b/src/view/draw.zig
@@ -15,52 +15,87 @@ const Rect = grome.matrix.Rect;
 /// approach minimizes unnecessary updates by only diffing changed cells.
 pub const DoubleBuffer = struct {
     // display holds the existing data.
-    a: Matrix(Cell),
+    front: Matrix(Cell),
     // write is where we are writing the active changes which will be commited
     // on the next rendering
-    b: Matrix(Cell),
-
-    // Front and back hold pointers to a and b, they will switch back and forth
-    // based on what is needed.
-    front: *Matrix(Cell),
-    back: *Matrix(Cell),
+    back: Matrix(Cell),
 
     pub fn init(gpa: Allocator, size: Rect) !DoubleBuffer {
-        var a = try Matrix(Cell).init(gpa, .{ .char = [_]u8{' '} ** 8, .width = 1 }, size);
+        const a = try Matrix(Cell).init(gpa, .{ .char = [_]u8{' '} ** 8, .width = 1 }, size);
         errdefer a.deinit(gpa);
 
-        var b = try Matrix(Cell).init(gpa, .{ .char = [_]u8{' '} ** 8, .width = 1 }, size);
+        const b = try Matrix(Cell).init(gpa, .{ .char = [_]u8{' '} ** 8, .width = 1 }, size);
 
         return .{
-            .a = a,
-            .b = b,
-            .front = &a,
-            .back = &b,
+            .front = a,
+            .back = b,
         };
     }
 
     pub fn deinit(self: *@This(), gpa: Allocator) void {
-        gpa.free(self.a);
-        gpa.free(self.b);
+        self.front.deinit(gpa);
+        self.back.deinit(gpa);
     }
 
+    // frame returns a subset of the backbuffer where `loc` is the top left point of the
+    // subsection, and `size` is the area or size of the subset.
     pub fn frame(self: *@This(), loc: Point, size: Rect) SubMatrix(Cell) {
-        return .init(self.back, loc, size);
+        return .init(&self.back, loc, size);
     }
 
-    pub fn render(self: *@This(), w: *std.Io.Writer) !usize {
-        std.mem.swap(*Matrix(Cell), &self.front, &self.back);
+    // swap the front and back. This should be called right before rendering
+    fn swap(self: *@This()) void {
+        std.mem.swap(Matrix(Cell), &self.front, &self.back);
+    }
 
-        var i = try w.write("\\033[H\\033[2J");
-        var iter = self.front.row_iterator();
-        while (iter.next()) |row| {
-            for (row) |cell| {
-                i += try cell.render(w);
+    // render outputs contents of the backbuffer to the writer. This function **does not**
+    // call `flush` so you should!
+    pub fn hard_refresh(self: *@This(), w: *std.Io.Writer) !void {
+        _ = try w.write("\x1b[H\x1b[2J");
+        var back_iter = self.back.row_iterator();
+
+        while (back_iter.next()) |back_row| {
+            for (back_row) |cell| {
+                _ = try cell.render(w);
             }
-            i += try w.write("\n");
+            _ = try w.write("\n");
         }
 
-        return i;
+        self.swap();
+    }
+
+    pub fn refresh(self: *@This(), w: *std.Io.Writer) !void {
+        _ = try w.write("\x1b[H");
+
+        var back_iter = self.back.row_iterator();
+        var front_iter = self.front.row_iterator();
+        var skip_lines: usize = 0;
+
+        while (true) {
+            var back_row = back_iter.next() orelse break;
+            const front_row = front_iter.next() orelse break;
+
+            for (0..back_row.len) |x| {
+                if (back_row[x].eql(&front_row[x])) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // if it's a new character then write out the rest of the line and then
+                // continue
+                try w.print("\x1b[{d};{d}H", .{ skip_lines, x + 1 });
+                for (back_row[x..]) |*cell| {
+                    try cell.render(w);
+                }
+                _ = try w.write("\n");
+                skip_lines = 0;
+                break;
+            }
+
+            skip_lines += 1;
+        }
+
+        _ = try w.write("\x1b[?25l");
+        self.swap();
     }
 };
 
@@ -70,10 +105,10 @@ pub const Cell = struct {
 
     /// eql returns
     pub fn eql(self: *const Cell, b: *const Cell) bool {
-        return mem.eql(u8, self.char, b.char) and self.width == b.width;
+        return mem.eql(u8, &self.char, &b.char) and self.width == b.width;
     }
 
-    pub fn render(self: *const @This(), w: *std.Io.Writer) !usize {
-        return w.write(self.char[0..self.width]);
+    pub fn render(self: *const @This(), w: *std.Io.Writer) !void {
+        _ = try w.write(self.char[0..self.width]);
     }
 };