diff --git a/src/game/nucleus.zig b/src/game/nucleus.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49be240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/game/nucleus.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+const std = @import("std");
+const grome = @import("root.zig");
+const style = grome.view.style;
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index 9091655..c337023 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ pub fn main(init: std.process.Init) !void {
     var viewport = try Viewport.init(arena, size);
     defer viewport.deinit(arena);
 
-    var text = Text.init("hello Grome", style.Red);
+    var text = Text.init("Hello Olive", style.Blue);
     try viewport.add_widget(arena, &text.widget);
 
     try viewport.hard_refresh(w);
diff --git a/src/view/double_buffer.zig b/src/view/double_buffer.zig
index d11822c..5daf0e4 100644
--- a/src/view/double_buffer.zig
+++ b/src/view/double_buffer.zig
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ const std = @import("std");
 const mem = std.mem;
 
 const grome = @import("../root.zig");
+const term = grome.view.term;
+const style = grome.view.style;
 
 const Allocator = mem.Allocator;
 const Matrix = grome.container.Matrix;
@@ -26,14 +28,14 @@ pub const DoubleBuffer = struct {
         const a = try Matrix(Cell).init(gpa, .{
             .char = [_]u8{' '} ** 8,
             .width = 1,
-            .style = null,
+            .style = style.BlackBg,
         }, size);
         errdefer a.deinit(gpa);
 
         const b = try Matrix(Cell).init(gpa, .{
             .char = [_]u8{' '} ** 8,
             .width = 1,
-            .style = null,
+            .style = style.BlackBg,
         }, size);
 
         return .{
@@ -61,17 +63,17 @@ pub const DoubleBuffer = struct {
     // 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");
+        try term.clear(w);
         var back_iter = self.back.row_iterator();
 
         while (back_iter.next()) |back_row| {
             for (back_row) |cell| {
-                _ = try cell.render(w);
+                try cell.render(w);
             }
-            _ = try w.write("\x1b[1E");
+            try term.next_line(w);
         }
 
-        _ = try w.write("\x1b[H");
+        try term.beginning(w);
 
         self.swap();
     }
@@ -91,13 +93,12 @@ pub const DoubleBuffer = struct {
                     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 });
+                try term.move(w, skip_lines, x + 1);
+                try term.clear_remaining_line(w);
                 for (back_row[x..]) |*cell| {
                     try cell.render(w);
                 }
-                _ = try w.write("\x1b[1E");
+                try term.next_line(w);
                 skip_lines = 0;
                 rendered = true;
                 break;
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ pub const DoubleBuffer = struct {
         }
 
         if (rendered) {
-            _ = try w.write("\x1b[H");
+            try term.beginning(w);
         }
         self.swap();
     }
diff --git a/src/view/root.zig b/src/view/root.zig
index 0b588c6..6a98fb9 100644
--- a/src/view/root.zig
+++ b/src/view/root.zig
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const widget = @import("widget.zig");
 
 pub const style = @import("style.zig");
+pub const term = @import("term.zig");
 
 pub const DoubleBuffer = @import("double_buffer.zig").DoubleBuffer;
 pub const Cell = @import("cell.zig").Cell;
diff --git a/src/view/style.zig b/src/view/style.zig
index accc877..4966173 100644
--- a/src/view/style.zig
+++ b/src/view/style.zig
@@ -14,3 +14,30 @@ pub const Style = struct {
 /// Reset is a special case that will reset all styles
 pub const Reset = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[0m" };
 pub const Red = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[31m" };
+
+pub const Green = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[32m" };
+pub const Blue = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[34m" };
+pub const Yellow = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[33m" };
+pub const Magenta = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[35m" };
+pub const Cyan = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[36m" };
+pub const White = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[37m" };
+pub const Black = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[30m" };
+
+// Background colors
+pub const BlueBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[44m" };
+pub const RedBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[41m" };
+pub const GreenBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[42m" };
+pub const MagentaBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[45m" };
+pub const CyanBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[46m" };
+pub const YellowBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[43m" };
+pub const WhiteBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[47m" };
+pub const BlackBg = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[40m" };
+
+// Bright colors
+pub const BrightRed = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[91m" };
+pub const BrightGreen = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[92m" };
+pub const BrightYellow = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[93m" };
+pub const BrightBlue = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[94m" };
+pub const BrightMagenta = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[95m" };
+pub const BrightCyan = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[96m" };
+pub const BrightWhite = Style{ .escape = "\x1b[97m" };
diff --git a/src/view/term.zig b/src/view/term.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f340f32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/view/term.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+const std = @import("std");
+
+const Writer = std.Io.Writer;
+
+/// clear clears the terminal screen entierly
+pub fn clear(w: *Writer) !void {
+    _ = try w.write("\x1b[H\x1b[2J");
+}
+
+/// nextline moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line
+pub fn next_line(w: *Writer) !void {
+    _ = try w.write("\x1b[1E");
+}
+
+/// beginning returns the cursor to the top left
+pub fn beginning(w: *Writer) !void {
+    _ = try w.write("\x1b[H");
+}
+
+/// moves the cursor the rows and columns specified
+pub fn move(w: *Writer, rows: usize, cols: usize) !void {
+    try w.print("\x1b[{d};{d}H", .{ rows, cols });
+}
+
+/// clear_remaining_line clears the line from the current cursor
+/// position
+pub fn clear_remaining_line(w: *Writer) !void {
+    _ = try w.write("\x1b[K");
+}
+
+/// hide_cursor stops the cursor from showing and and blinking and
+/// stuff.
+pub fn hide_cursor(w: *Writer) !void {
+    _ = try w.write("\x1b[?25l");
+}
diff --git a/src/view/viewport.zig b/src/view/viewport.zig
index 17e2195..d745d0e 100644
--- a/src/view/viewport.zig
+++ b/src/view/viewport.zig
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const grome = @import("../root.zig");
 const view = @import("root.zig");
+const term = view.term;
 
 const ArrayList = std.ArrayList;
 const Allocator = std.mem.Allocator;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ pub const Viewport = struct {
     }
 
     pub fn hard_refresh(self: *@This(), w: *Writer) !void {
+        try term.hide_cursor(w);
         try self.render();
         try self.buffer.hard_refresh(w);
     }