diff --git a/src/cbaselib.c b/src/cbaselib.c
index 53afa46..95ba39d 100644
--- a/src/cbaselib.c
+++ b/src/cbaselib.c
@@ -258,28 +258,54 @@ int cosmoB_sSplit(CState *state, int nargs, CValue *args) {
     return 1;
 }
 
-// string.charAt
-int cosmoB_sCharAt(CState *state, int nargs, CValue *args) {
-    if (nargs != 2) {
-        cosmoV_error(state, "string.charAt() expected 2 arguments, got %d!", nargs);
+// string.byte
+int cosmoB_sByte(CState *state, int nargs, CValue *args) {
+    if (nargs != 1) {
+        cosmoV_error(state, "string.byte() expected 1 argument, got %d!", nargs);
         return 0;
     }
 
-    if (!IS_STRING(args[0]) || !IS_NUMBER(args[1])) {
-        cosmoV_typeError(state, "string.charAt", "<string>, <number>", "%s, %s", cosmoV_typeStr(args[0]), cosmoV_typeStr(args[1]));
+    if (!IS_STRING(args[0])) {
+        cosmoV_typeError(state, "string.byte", "<string>", "%s", cosmoV_typeStr(args[0]));
         return 0;
     }
-
+    
     CObjString *str = cosmoV_readString(args[0]);
-    int indx = (int)cosmoV_readNumber(args[1]);
 
-    if (indx >= str->length || indx < 0) {
-        cosmoV_error(state, "string.charAt() expected index to be 0-%d, got %d!", str->length - 1, indx);
+    if (str->length < 1) {
+        // the length of the string is less than 1, in the future I might throw an error for this, but 
+        // for now im going to copy lua and just return a nil
         return 0;
     }
 
-    // returns character number
-    cosmoV_pushNumber(state, (int)str->str[indx]);
+    // push the character byte and return
+    cosmoV_pushNumber(state, (int)str->str[0]);
+    return 1;
+}
+
+// string.char
+int cosmoB_sChar(CState *state, int nargs, CValue *args) {
+    if (nargs != 1) {
+        cosmoV_error(state, "string.char() expected 1 argument, got %d!", nargs);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    if (!IS_NUMBER(args[0])) {
+        cosmoV_typeError(state, "string.char", "<number>", "%s", cosmoV_typeStr(args[0]));
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // small side effect of truncating the number, but ignoring the decimal instead of throwing an error is the better option imo
+    int num = (int)cosmoV_readNumber(args[0]);
+    char c = num;
+
+    if (num > 255 || num < 0) {
+        cosmoV_error(state, "Character expected to be in range 0-255, got %d!", num);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // basically, treat the c value on the stack as an """"array"""" with a length of 1
+    cosmoV_pushLString(state, &c, 1);
     return 1;
 }
 
@@ -288,14 +314,16 @@ void cosmoB_loadStrLib(CState *state) {
         "sub",
         "find",
         "split",
-        "charAt"
+        "byte",
+        "char"
     };
 
     CosmoCFunction strLib[] = {
         cosmoB_sSub,
         cosmoB_sFind,
         cosmoB_sSplit,
-        cosmoB_sCharAt
+        cosmoB_sByte,
+        cosmoB_sChar
     };
 
     // make string library object
diff --git a/src/cbaselib.h b/src/cbaselib.h
index 39920d4..3b486cd 100644
--- a/src/cbaselib.h
+++ b/src/cbaselib.h
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ COSMO_API void cosmoB_loadLibrary(CState *state);
     - string.sub
     - stirng.find
     - string.split
-    - string.charAt
+    - string.byte
+    - string.char
 
     The base proto object for strings is also set, allowing you to invoke the string.* api through string objects, eg.
         `"hello world":split(" ")` is equivalent to `string.split("hello world", " ")`
diff --git a/src/cobj.c b/src/cobj.c
index 7430dc1..2901fd9 100644
--- a/src/cobj.c
+++ b/src/cobj.c
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ CObjString *cosmoO_copyString(CState *state, const char *str, size_t length) {
     return cosmoO_allocateString(state, buf, length, hash);
 }
 
-// length shouldn't include the null terminator! (char array should also have been allocated using cosmoM_xmalloc!)
+// length shouldn't include the null terminator! str should be a null terminated string! (char array should also have been allocated using cosmoM_xmalloc!)
 CObjString *cosmoO_takeString(CState *state, char *str, size_t length) {
     uint32_t hash = hashString(str, length);
 
diff --git a/src/cobj.h b/src/cobj.h
index 22ee177..08ca358 100644
--- a/src/cobj.h
+++ b/src/cobj.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ typedef struct CObjString {
     CommonHeader; // "is a" CObj
     bool isIString;
     int length;
-    char *str;
+    char *str; // NULL termincated string
     uint32_t hash; // for hashtable lookup
 } CObjString;
 
@@ -168,12 +168,14 @@ int cosmoO_getUserI(CState *state, CObjObject *object);
 // internal string
 bool cosmoO_getIString(CState *state, CObjObject *object, int flag, CValue *val);
 
-// copies the *str buffer to the heap and returns a CObjString struct which is also on the heap
-CObjString *cosmoO_copyString(CState *state, const char *str, size_t sz);
-// pass an already allocated str buffer!
-CObjString *cosmoO_takeString(CState *state, char *str, size_t sz);
+// copies the *str buffer to the heap and returns a CObjString struct which is also on the heap (length should not include the null terminator)
+CObjString *cosmoO_copyString(CState *state, const char *str, size_t length);
+
+// length shouldn't include the null terminator! str should be a null terminated string! (char array should also have been allocated using cosmoM_xmalloc!)
+CObjString *cosmoO_takeString(CState *state, char *str, size_t length);
+
 // allocates a CObjStruct pointing directly to *str
-CObjString *cosmoO_allocateString(CState *state, const char *str, size_t sz, uint32_t hash);
+CObjString *cosmoO_allocateString(CState *state, const char *str, size_t length, uint32_t hash);
 
 /*
     formats strings to push onto the VM stack, formatting supported: