diff --git a/src/demo/yield.c b/src/demo/yield.c
index fad929903..9884feae3 100644
--- a/src/demo/yield.c
+++ b/src/demo/yield.c
@@ -12,13 +12,23 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
   if(wmv == NULL){
     return -1;
   }
-  struct ncvisual_options vopts = {
+  ncscale_e scale = NCSCALE_STRETCH;
+  struct ncplane_options nopts = {
     .y = 1,
-    .scaling = NCSCALE_STRETCH,
+    .rows = dimy - 2,
+    .cols = dimx,
+  };
+  struct ncvisual_options vopts = {
+    .scaling = scale,
     .blitter = NCBLIT_PIXEL,
   };
-  struct ncplane* n;
-  if((n = ncvisual_render(nc, wmv, &vopts)) == NULL){
+  vopts.n = ncplane_create(std, &nopts);
+  if(vopts.n == NULL){
+    ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
+    return -1;
+  }
+  if(ncvisual_render(nc, wmv, &vopts) == NULL){
+    ncplane_destroy(vopts.n);
     ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
     return -1;
   }
@@ -26,13 +36,13 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
   int vy, vx, vscaley, vscalex;
   vopts.scaling = NCSCALE_NONE;
   ncvisual_geom(nc, wmv, &vopts, &vy, &vx, &vscaley, &vscalex);
-  vopts.scaling = NCSCALE_STRETCH;
+  vopts.scaling = scale;
   struct timespec scaled;
   const long total = vy * vx;
   // less than this, and we exit almost immediately. more than this, and we
   // run closer to twenty seconds. 11/50 it is, then.
   const long threshold_painted = total * 11 / 50;
-  const int MAXITER = 512;
+  const int MAXITER = 256;
   timespec_div(&demodelay, MAXITER, &scaled);
   long tfilled = 0;
 
@@ -46,7 +56,7 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
   struct ncplane* label = ncplane_create(std, &labopts);
   if(label == NULL){
     ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
-    ncplane_destroy(n);
+    ncplane_destroy(vopts.n);
     return -1;
   }
   uint64_t basechan = 0;
@@ -73,7 +83,7 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
       uint32_t pixel = 0;
       if(ncvisual_at_yx(wmv, y, x, &pixel) < 0){
         ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
-        ncplane_destroy(n);
+        ncplane_destroy(vopts.n);
         return -1;
       }
       if(ncpixel_a(pixel) != 0xff){ // don't do areas we've already done
@@ -87,7 +97,7 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
       pfilled = ncvisual_polyfill_yx(wmv, y, x, pixel);
       if(pfilled < 0){
         ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
-        ncplane_destroy(n);
+        ncplane_destroy(vopts.n);
         return -1;
       }
       // it's possible that nothing changed (pfilled == 0), but render anyway
@@ -95,8 +105,7 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
       DEMO_RENDER(nc);
     }while(pfilled == 0);
     tfilled += pfilled;
-    ncplane_destroy(n);
-    if((n = ncvisual_render(nc, wmv, &vopts)) == NULL){
+    if(ncvisual_render(nc, wmv, &vopts) == NULL){
       ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
       return -1;
     }
@@ -110,7 +119,7 @@ int yield_demo(struct notcurses* nc){
   }
   ncplane_destroy(label);
   ncvisual_destroy(wmv);
-  ncplane_destroy(n);
+  ncplane_destroy(vopts.n);
   ncplane_erase(std);
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/visual.c b/src/lib/visual.c
index 7772eece6..7b9897c22 100644
--- a/src/lib/visual.c
+++ b/src/lib/visual.c
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ ncplane* ncvisual_render_cells(notcurses* nc, ncvisual* ncv, const struct blitse
   return n;
 }
 
-ncplane* ncvisual_render_pixels(notcurses* nc, ncvisual* ncv, const struct blitset* bset,
+ncplane* ncvisual_render_pixels(tinfo* tcache, ncvisual* ncv, const struct blitset* bset,
                                 int placey, int placex, int begy, int begx,
                                 ncplane* n, ncscale_e scaling, ncplane* stdn){
   int disprows, dispcols;
@@ -489,41 +489,47 @@ ncplane* ncvisual_render_pixels(notcurses* nc, ncvisual* ncv, const struct blits
     dispcols = ncv->cols;
     disprows = ncv->rows;
   }
-  if(n){
-    logerror(nc, "Can't blit bitmaps to existing planes\n");
-    return NULL;
-  }
 //fprintf(stderr, "INPUT N: %p\n", vopts ? vopts->n : NULL);
-  if(scaling != NCSCALE_NONE && scaling != NCSCALE_NONE_HIRES){
-    ncplane_dim_yx(stdn, &disprows, &dispcols);
-    dispcols *= nc->tcache.cellpixx;
-    disprows *= nc->tcache.cellpixy;
-  }
+  if(n == NULL){ // create plane
+    if(scaling != NCSCALE_NONE && scaling != NCSCALE_NONE_HIRES){
+      ncplane_dim_yx(stdn, &disprows, &dispcols);
+      dispcols *= tcache->cellpixx;
+      disprows *= tcache->cellpixy;
+    }
 //fprintf(stderr, "PLACING NEW PLANE: %d/%d @ %d/%d\n", disprows, dispcols, placey, placex);
-  struct ncplane_options nopts = {
-    .y = placey,
-    .x = placex,
-    .rows = disprows / nc->tcache.cellpixy + !!(disprows % nc->tcache.cellpixy),
-    .cols = dispcols / nc->tcache.cellpixx + !!(dispcols % nc->tcache.cellpixx),
-    .userptr = NULL,
-    .name = "rgba",
-    .resizecb = NULL,
-    .flags = 0,
-  };
-  if((n = ncplane_create(stdn, &nopts)) == NULL){
-    return NULL;
+    struct ncplane_options nopts = {
+      .y = placey,
+      .x = placex,
+      .rows = disprows / tcache->cellpixy + !!(disprows % tcache->cellpixy),
+      .cols = dispcols / tcache->cellpixx + !!(dispcols % tcache->cellpixx),
+      .userptr = NULL,
+      .name = "rgba",
+      .resizecb = NULL,
+      .flags = 0,
+    };
+    if((n = ncplane_create(stdn, &nopts)) == NULL){
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    placey = 0;
+    placex = 0;
+  }else{
+    if(scaling != NCSCALE_NONE && scaling != NCSCALE_NONE_HIRES){
+      ncplane_dim_yx(n, &disprows, &dispcols);
+      dispcols *= tcache->cellpixx;
+      disprows *= tcache->cellpixy;
+      dispcols -= (placex * tcache->cellpixx + 1);
+      disprows -= (placey * tcache->cellpixy + 1);
+    }
   }
-  placey = 0;
-  placex = 0;
   if(scaling == NCSCALE_SCALE || scaling == NCSCALE_SCALE_HIRES){
     scale_visual(ncv, &disprows, &dispcols);
   }
-//fprintf(stderr, "pblit: %dx%d <- %dx%d of %d/%d stride %u @%dx%d %p %u\n", disprows, dispcols, begy, begx, ncv->rows, ncv->cols, ncv->rowstride, placey, placex, ncv->data, ncplane_notcurses(stdn)->nc->tcache.cellpixx);
+//fprintf(stderr, "pblit: %dx%d <- %dx%d of %d/%d stride %u @%dx%d %p %u\n", disprows, dispcols, begy, begx, ncv->rows, ncv->cols, ncv->rowstride, placey, placex, ncv->data, ncplane_notcurses(stdn)->tcache.cellpixx);
   blitterargs bargs;
-  bargs.pixel.celldimx = nc->tcache.cellpixx;
-  bargs.pixel.celldimy = nc->tcache.cellpixy;
-  bargs.pixel.colorregs = nc->tcache.color_registers;
-  bargs.pixel.sprixelid = nc->tcache.sprixelnonce++;
+  bargs.pixel.celldimx = ncplane_notcurses(stdn)->tcache.cellpixx;
+  bargs.pixel.celldimy = ncplane_notcurses(stdn)->tcache.cellpixy;
+  bargs.pixel.colorregs = ncplane_notcurses(stdn)->tcache.color_registers;
+  bargs.pixel.sprixelid = tcache->sprixelnonce++;
   if(ncvisual_blit(ncv, disprows, dispcols, n, bset,
                    begy, begx, disprows, dispcols, &bargs)){
     ncplane_destroy(n);
@@ -579,7 +585,7 @@ ncplane* ncvisual_render(notcurses* nc, ncvisual* ncv, const struct ncvisual_opt
                               n, scaling,
                               vopts && (vopts->flags & NCVISUAL_OPTION_BLEND));
   }else{
-    n = ncvisual_render_pixels(nc, ncv, bset, placey, placex, begy, begx,
+    n = ncvisual_render_pixels(&nc->tcache, ncv, bset, placey, placex, begy, begx,
                                n, scaling, notcurses_stdplane(nc));
   }
   return n;