diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a912f72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+tests/*
+!tests/*.nim
+!tests/*.nims
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..391e642
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# hwylterm
+
+Adding some fun to the terminal!
diff --git a/config.nims b/config.nims
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b62011
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config.nims
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+task test, "run tests":
+  selfExec "r tests/tbbansi.nim"
diff --git a/hwylterm.nimble b/hwylterm.nimble
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad01601
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hwylterm.nimble
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Package
+
+version       = "0.1.0"
+author        = "Daylin Morgan"
+description   = "bringing some fun (hwyl) to the terminal"
+license       = "MIT"
+srcDir        = "src"
+
+
+# Dependencies
+
+requires "nim >= 2.0.8"
diff --git a/src/hwylterm.nim b/src/hwylterm.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4901c5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hwylterm.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+import hwylterm/[spin, bbansi]
+export spin, bbansi
diff --git a/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim b/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..62efd4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,276 @@
+##[
+  ## bbansi
+
+  use BB style markup to add color to strings using VT100 escape codes
+]##
+
+import std/[os, sequtils, strutils, terminal]
+
+import bbansi/[styles, utils]
+
+# TODO:
+# - improve terminal/output detection (is output a tty?)
+# - add compiletimeSwitch to disable color?
+# - add env variable to force color
+proc checkColorSupport(): bool =
+  if os.getEnv("NO_COLOR") != "":
+    return true
+  when defined(bbansiNoColor):
+    return true
+  if not isatty(stdout):
+    return true
+
+let noColor = checkColorSupport()
+
+type
+  BbSpan* = object
+    styles*: seq[string]
+    slice*: array[2, int]
+
+  BbString* = object
+    raw*: string
+    plain*: string
+    spans*: seq[BbSpan]
+
+proc len(span: BbSpan): int =
+  span.slice[1] - span.slice[0]
+
+template endSpan(bbs: var BbString) =
+  if bbs.spans.len == 0:
+    return
+  if bbs.plain.len >= 1:
+    bbs.spans[^1].slice[1] = bbs.plain.len - 1
+  if bbs.spans[^1].len == 0 and bbs.plain.len == 0:
+    bbs.spans.delete(bbs.spans.len - 1)
+
+proc newSpan(bbs: var BbString, styles: seq[string] = @[]) =
+  bbs.spans.add BbSpan(styles: styles, slice: [bbs.plain.len, 0])
+
+template resetSpan(bbs: var BbString) =
+  bbs.endSpan
+  bbs.newSpan
+
+template closeLastStyle(bbs: var BbString) =
+  bbs.endSpan
+  let newStyle = bbs.spans[^1].styles[0 ..^ 2] # drop the latest style
+  bbs.newSpan newStyle
+
+template addToSpan(bbs: var BbString, pattern: string) =
+  let currStyl = bbs.spans[^1].styles
+  bbs.endSpan
+  bbs.newSpan currStyl & @[pattern]
+
+template closeStyle(bbs: var BbString, pattern: string) =
+  let style = pattern[1 ..^ 1].strip()
+  if style in bbs.spans[^1].styles:
+    bbs.endSpan
+    let newStyle = bbs.spans[^1].styles.filterIt(it != style) # use sets instead
+    bbs.newSpan newStyle
+
+template closeFinalSpan(bbs: var BbString) =
+  if bbs.spans.len >= 1 and bbs.spans[^1].slice[1] == 0:
+    bbs.endSpan
+
+proc bb*(s: string): BbString =
+  ## convert bbcode markup to ansi escape codes
+  var
+    pattern: string
+    i = 0
+
+  template next() =
+    result.plain.add s[i]
+    inc i
+
+  template incPattern() =
+    pattern.add s[i]
+    inc i
+
+  template resetPattern() =
+    pattern = ""
+    inc i
+
+  result.raw = s
+  if not s.startswith('[') or s.startswith("[["):
+    result.spans.add BbSpan()
+
+  while i < s.len:
+    case s[i]
+    of '\\':
+      if i < s.len and s[i + 1] == '[':
+        inc i
+      next
+    of '[':
+      if i < s.len and s[i + 1] == '[':
+        inc i
+        next
+        continue
+      inc i
+      while i < s.len and s[i] != ']':
+        incPattern
+      pattern = pattern.strip()
+      if result.spans.len > 0:
+        if pattern == "/":
+          result.closeLastStyle
+        elif pattern == "reset":
+          result.resetSpan
+        elif pattern.startswith('/'):
+          result.closeStyle pattern
+        else:
+          result.addToSpan pattern
+      else:
+        result.newSpan @[pattern]
+      resetPattern
+    else:
+      next
+
+  result.closeFinalSpan
+
+proc bb*(s: string, style: string): BbString =
+  bb("[" & style & "]" & s & "[/" & style & "]")
+
+proc `&`*(x: BbString, y: string): BbString =
+  result = x
+  result.raw &= y
+  result.plain &= y
+  result.spans[^1].slice[1] = result.plain.len - 1
+
+proc `&`*(x: string, y: BbString): BbString =
+  result.raw = x & y.raw
+  result.plain = x & y.plain
+  result.spans.add BbSpan(styles: @[], slice: [0, x.len - 1])
+  for span in y.spans:
+    let
+      length = x.len
+      styles = span.styles
+      slice = span.slice
+    result.spans.add BbSpan(
+      styles: styles, slice: [slice[0] + length, slice[1] + length]
+    )
+
+func len*(bbs: BbString): int =
+  bbs.plain.len
+
+proc `$`*(bbs: BbString): string =
+  if noColor:
+    return bbs.plain
+
+  for span in bbs.spans:
+    var codes = ""
+    if span.styles.len > 0:
+      codes = span.styles.join(" ").toAnsiCode
+
+    result.add codes
+    result.add bbs.plain[span.slice[0] .. span.slice[1]]
+
+    if codes != "":
+      result.add bbReset
+
+proc `&`*(x: BbString, y: BbString): Bbstring =
+  # there is probably a more efficient way to do this
+  bb(x.raw & y.raw)
+
+proc bbEcho*(args: varargs[string, `$`]) {.sideEffect.} =
+  for x in args:
+    stdout.write(x.bb)
+  stdout.write('\n')
+  stdout.flushFile
+
+when isMainModule:
+  import std/[parseopt, strformat, sugar]
+  const version = staticExec "git describe --tags --always --dirty=-dev"
+  const longOptPad = 8
+  proc writeHelp() =
+    let help =
+      fmt"""
+[bold]bbansi[/] \[[green]args...[/]] [[[faint]-h|-v[/]]
+
+[italic]usage[/]:
+  bbansi "[[yellow] yellow text!"
+    |-> [yellow] yellow text![/]
+  bbansi "[[bold red] bold red text[[/] plain text..."
+    |-> [bold red] bold red text[/] plain text...
+  bbansi "[[red]some red[[/red] but all italic" --style:italic
+    |-> [italic][red]some red[/red] but all italic[/italic]
+
+flags:
+  """.bb &
+      $(
+        bb(
+          collect(
+            for (s, l, d) in [
+              ("h", "help", "show this help"),
+              ("v", "version", "show version"),
+              ("s", "style", "set style for string"),
+            ]:
+              fmt"[yellow]-{s}[/]  [green]--{l.alignLeft(longOptPad)}[/] {d}"
+          )
+          .join("\n  ")
+        )
+      )
+    echo help
+    quit(QuitSuccess)
+
+  proc testCard() =
+    for style in [
+      "bold", "faint", "italic", "underline", "blink", "reverse", "conceal", "strike"
+    ]:
+      echo style, " -> ", fmt"[{style}]****".bb
+    const colors =
+      ["black", "red", "green", "yellow", "blue", "magenta", "cyan", "white"]
+    for color in colors:
+      echo color, " -> ", fmt"[{color}]****".bb
+    for color in colors:
+      echo "on ", color, " -> ", fmt"[on {color}]****".bb
+
+  proc debug(bbs: BbString): string =
+    echo "bbString("
+    echo "  raw: ", bbs.raw
+    echo "  plain: ", bbs.plain
+    echo "  spans: ", bbs.spans
+    echo "  escaped: ", escape($bbs)
+    echo ")"
+
+  proc writeVersion() =
+    echo fmt"[yellow]bbansi version[/][red] ->[/] [bold]{version}[/]".bb
+    quit(QuitSuccess)
+
+  var
+    strArgs: seq[string]
+    style: string
+    showDebug: bool
+  var p = initOptParser()
+  for kind, key, val in p.getopt():
+    case kind
+    of cmdEnd:
+      break
+    of cmdShortOption, cmdLongOption:
+      case key
+      of "help", "h":
+        writeHelp()
+      of "version", "v":
+        writeVersion()
+      of "testCard":
+        testCard()
+        quit(QuitSuccess)
+      of "style", "s":
+        if val == "":
+          echo "[red]ERROR[/]: expected value for -s/--style".bb
+          quit(QuitFailure)
+        style = val
+      of "debug":
+        showDebug = true
+      else:
+        echo bb"[yellow]warning[/]: unexpected option/value -> ", key, ", ", val
+    of cmdArgument:
+      strArgs.add key
+  if strArgs.len == 0:
+    writeHelp()
+  for arg in strArgs:
+    let styled =
+      if style != "":
+        arg.bb(style)
+      else:
+        arg.bb
+    echo styled
+    if showDebug:
+      echo debug(styled)
diff --git a/src/hwylterm/bbansi/styles.nim b/src/hwylterm/bbansi/styles.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..302ddc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hwylterm/bbansi/styles.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import std/tables
+export tables
+
+const
+  bbReset* = "\e[0m"
+  bbStyles* = {
+    "bold": "1",
+    "b": "1",
+    "faint": "2",
+    "italic": "3",
+    "i": "3",
+    "underline": "4",
+    "u": "4",
+    "blink": "5",
+    "reverse": "7",
+    "conceal": "8",
+    "strike": "9",
+  }.toTable
+
+  bbColors* = {
+    "black": "0",
+    "red": "1",
+    "green": "2",
+    "yellow": "3",
+    "blue": "4",
+    "magenta": "5",
+    "cyan": "6",
+    "white": "7",
+  }.toTable
diff --git a/src/hwylterm/bbansi/utils.nim b/src/hwylterm/bbansi/utils.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c537086
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hwylterm/bbansi/utils.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import std/[strutils]
+
+import styles
+
+proc toAnsiCode*(s: string): string =
+  var
+    codes: seq[string]
+    styles: seq[string]
+    bgStyle: string
+  if " on " in s or s.startswith("on"):
+    let fgBgSplit = s.rsplit("on", maxsplit = 1)
+    styles = fgBgSplit[0].toLowerAscii().splitWhitespace()
+    bgStyle = fgBgSplit[1].strip().toLowerAscii()
+  else:
+    styles = s.splitWhitespace()
+  for style in styles:
+    if style in bbStyles:
+      codes.add bbStyles[style]
+    elif style in bbColors:
+      codes.add "3" & bbColors[style]
+  if bgStyle in bbColors:
+    codes.add "4" & bbColors[bgStyle]
+
+  if codes.len > 0:
+    result.add "\e["
+    result.add codes.join ";"
+    result.add "m"
diff --git a/src/hwylterm/spin.nim b/src/hwylterm/spin.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5708837
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hwylterm/spin.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+import std/[os, locks, sequtils, terminal]
+import "."/bbansi
+
+type
+  SpinnerKind* = enum
+    Dots
+
+  Spinner* = object
+    interval*: int
+    frames*: seq[string]
+
+proc makeSpinner*(interval: int, frames: seq[string]): Spinner =
+  Spinner(interval: interval, frames: frames)
+
+const Spinners*: array[SpinnerKind, Spinner] = [
+  # Dots
+  Spinner(
+    interval: 80,
+    frames: @["⠋", "⠙", "⠹", "⠸", "⠼", "⠴", "⠦", "⠧", "⠇", "⠏"],
+  )
+]
+
+type
+  Spinny = ref object
+    t: Thread[Spinny]
+    lock: Lock
+    text: string
+    running: bool
+    frames: seq[string]
+    frame: string
+    interval: int
+    customSymbol: bool
+    style: string
+
+  EventKind = enum
+    Stop
+    SymbolChange
+    TextChange
+
+  SpinnyEvent = object
+    kind: EventKind
+    payload: string
+
+var spinnyChannel: Channel[SpinnyEvent]
+
+proc newSpinny*(text: string, s: Spinner): Spinny =
+  let style = "bold blue"
+  Spinny(
+    text: text,
+    running: true,
+    frames: mapIt(s.frames, $bb(it, style)),
+    customSymbol: false,
+    interval: s.interval,
+    style: "bold blue",
+  )
+
+proc newSpinny*(text: string, spinType: SpinnerKind): Spinny =
+  newSpinny(text, Spinners[spinType])
+
+proc setSymbolColor*(spinny: Spinny, style: string) =
+  spinny.frames = mapIt(spinny.frames, $bb(it, style))
+
+proc setSymbol*(spinny: Spinny, symbol: string) =
+  spinnyChannel.send(SpinnyEvent(kind: SymbolChange, payload: symbol))
+
+proc setText*(spinny: Spinny, text: string) =
+  spinnyChannel.send(SpinnyEvent(kind: TextChange, payload: text))
+
+proc handleEvent(spinny: Spinny, eventData: SpinnyEvent): bool =
+  result = true
+  case eventData.kind
+  of Stop:
+    result = false
+  of SymbolChange:
+    spinny.customSymbol = true
+    spinny.frame = eventData.payload
+  of TextChange:
+    spinny.text = eventData.payload
+
+proc spinnyLoop(spinny: Spinny) {.thread.} =
+  var frameCounter = 0
+
+  while spinny.running:
+    let data = spinnyChannel.tryRecv()
+    if data.dataAvailable:
+      # If we received a Stop event
+      if not spinny.handleEvent(data.msg):
+        spinnyChannel.close()
+        # This is required so we can reopen the same channel more than once
+        # See https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/6369
+        spinnyChannel = default(typeof(spinnyChannel))
+        # TODO: Do we need spinny.running at all?
+        spinny.running = false
+        break
+
+    stdout.flushFile()
+    if not spinny.customSymbol:
+      spinny.frame = spinny.frames[frameCounter]
+
+    withLock spinny.lock:
+      eraseLine()
+      stdout.write(spinny.frame & " " & spinny.text)
+      stdout.flushFile()
+
+    sleep spinny.interval
+
+    if frameCounter >= spinny.frames.len - 1:
+      frameCounter = 0
+    else:
+      frameCounter += 1
+
+proc start*(spinny: Spinny) =
+  initLock spinny.lock
+  spinnyChannel.open()
+  createThread(spinny.t, spinnyLoop, spinny)
+
+proc stop(spinny: Spinny, kind: EventKind, payload = "") =
+  spinnyChannel.send(SpinnyEvent(kind: kind, payload: payload))
+  spinnyChannel.send(SpinnyEvent(kind: Stop))
+  joinThread spinny.t
+  eraseLine stdout
+  flushFile stdout
+
+proc stop*(spinny: Spinny) =
+  spinny.stop(Stop)
+
+template withSpinner*(msg: string = "", body: untyped): untyped =
+  var spinner {.inject.} = newSpinny(msg, Dots)
+  if isatty(stdout): # don't spin if it's not a tty
+    start spinner
+
+  body
+
+  if isatty(stdout):
+    stop spinner
+
+template withSpinner*(body: untyped): untyped =
+  withSpinner("", body)
diff --git a/tests/config.nims b/tests/config.nims
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80091ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/config.nims
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+switch("path", "$projectDir/../src")
diff --git a/tests/tbbansi.nim b/tests/tbbansi.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff99c24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tbbansi.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import std/[strutils,unittest]
+
+import hwylterm/bbansi
+
+template bbCheck(input: string, output: string): untyped =
+  check escape($bb(input)) == escape(output)
+
+suite "basic":
+  test "simple":
+    bbCheck "[red]red text", "\e[31mred text\e[0m"
+    bbCheck "[red]Red Text", "\e[31mRed Text\e[0m"
+    bbCheck "[yellow]Yellow Text", "\e[33mYellow Text\e[0m"
+    bbCheck "[bold red]Bold Red Text", "\e[1;31mBold Red Text\e[0m"
+    bbCheck "[red]5[/]", "\e[31m5\e[0m"
+    bbCheck "[bold][red]5","\e[1;31m5\e[0m"
+
+  test "closing":
+    bbCheck "[bold]Bold[red] Bold Red[/red] Bold Only",
+      "\e[1mBold\e[0m\e[1;31m Bold Red\e[0m\e[1m Bold Only\e[0m"
+
+  test "abbreviated":
+    bbCheck "[b]Bold[/] Not Bold", "\e[1mBold\e[0m Not Bold"
+
+  test "noop":
+    bbCheck "No Style", "No Style"
+    bbCheck "[unknown]Unknown Style", "Unknown Style"
+
+  test "escaped":
+    bbCheck "[[red] ignored pattern", "[red] ignored pattern"
+
+  test "newlines":
+    bbCheck "[red]Red Text[/]\nNext Line", "\e[31mRed Text\e[0m\nNext Line"
+
+  test "on color":
+    bbCheck "[red on yellow]Red on Yellow", "\e[31;43mRed on Yellow\e[0m"
+
+  test "concat-ops":
+    check "[red]RED[/]".bb & " plain string" == "[red]RED[/] plain string".bb
+    check "[red]RED[/]".bb.len == 3
+    check bb("[blue]Blue[/]") & " " & bb("[red]Red[/]") ==
+        "[blue]Blue[/] [red]Red[/]".bb
+    check "a plain string" & "[blue] a blue string".bb ==
+        "a plain string[blue] a blue string".bb
+
+  test "case":
+    bbCheck "[red]no case sensitivity[/RED]", "\e[31mno case sensitivity\e[0m"
+
+  test "style full":
+    check "[red]Red[/red]".bb == bb("Red", "red")
+    check "[b][yellow]not yellow[/][/b]".bb == bb("[yellow]not yellow[/]", "b")
+
diff --git a/tests/tcli.nim b/tests/tcli.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..091766d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tcli.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import std/[
+  compilesettings,
+  os,
+  osproc,
+  strutils,
+  times,
+  unittest
+]
+
+const pathToSrc = querySetting(SingleValueSetting.projectPath)
+
+proc cliRun(cmd: string): string =
+  let (output, _) = execCmdEx(pathToSrc / "bbansi.out " & cmd)
+  return output.strip()
+
+suite "cli":
+  setup:
+    let
+      cli = pathToSrc / "bbansi.out"
+      srcDir = pathToSrc / ".." / "src"
+      cmd = "nim c -o:" & cli & " " & (srcDir / "bbansi.nim")
+    if not cli.fileExists or getFileInfo(cli).lastWriteTime < getFileInfo(srcDir).lastWriteTime:
+      echo "   -> compiling test binary"
+      require execCmdEx(cmd).exitCode == 0
+  test "simple":
+    check "\e[31mRed\e[0m" == cliRun "[red]Red[/]"
+    check "\e[1;31mRed\e[0m\e[1m Not Red but Bold\e[0m" ==
+        cliRun "'[red]Red[/] Not Red but Bold' " & "--style:bold"