diff --git a/libfatstr/Makefile b/libfatstr/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..222a846
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libfatstr/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+libfatstr.o: libfatstr.c libfatstr.h
+	$(CC) -g -o libfatstr.o libfatstr.c
diff --git a/libfatstr/libfatstr.c b/libfatstr/libfatstr.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3279e5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libfatstr/libfatstr.c
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#include <stdlib.h> /* free(3), malloc(3), realloc(3) */
+#include <string.h> /* strncpy(3) */
+#include "fatstr.h"
+
+/* quick and dirty ASCII edition */
+
+/* Size by which to grow memory allocations. */
+#define GROW_INTERVAL 100
+
+struct FatStr *
+FatStr_initialize(struct FatStr *p){
+
+	if((p->v = malloc((sizeof *(p->v)) * GROW_INTERVAL)) == NULL)
+		return NULL; /* who knows */
+	p->a = GROW_INTERVAL;
+	p->s = 0;
+	return p;
+}
+
+struct FatStr *
+FatStr_append(struct FatStr *p, FatStr_scalar_t c){
+	FatStr_vector_t t;
+
+	if(p->s + 1 > p->a){
+		if((t = realloc(p->v, (sizeof *(p->v)) * (p->a + GROW_INTERVAL)))
+				== NULL)
+			return NULL;
+		p->a += GROW_INTERVAL;
+	}
+	(p->v)[(p->s)++] = c;
+}
+
+/* retval will need to be freed */
+char *
+FatStr_convert(struct FatStr *p){
+	char *r;
+
+	if((r = malloc(p->s * (sizeof *(p->v)))) == NULL) /* might be buggy */
+		return NULL;
+	strncpy(r, p->v, p->s);
+	return r;
+}
+
+struct FatStr *
+FatStr_destruct(struct FatStr *p){
+	free(p->v);
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+struct FatStr *
+FatStr_trimfront(){
+}
diff --git a/libfatstr/libfatstr.h b/libfatstr/libfatstr.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd78287
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libfatstr/libfatstr.h
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+typedef FatStr_size_t size_t;
+typedef FatStr_scalar_t int;
+typedef FatStr_vector_t FatStr_scalar_t *;
+
+struct FatStr{
+	FatStr_size_t a; /* allocation */
+	FatStr_size_t s; /* actual size */
+	FatStr_vector_t v; /* vector */
+};
+
+struct FatStr *FatStr_append(struct FatStr *p, FatStr_scalar_t c);
+FatStr_vector_t FatStr_convert(struct FatStr *p);
+struct FatStr *FatStr_destruct(struct FatStr *p);
+struct FatStr *FatStr_initialize(struct FatStr *p);
+struct FatStr *FatStr_trimfront(