diff --git a/src/lib/internal.h b/src/lib/internal.h
index 3895157d2..709c9077d 100644
--- a/src/lib/internal.h
+++ b/src/lib/internal.h
@@ -279,6 +279,20 @@ typedef struct notcurses {
 
 void sigwinch_handler(int signo);
 
+// create a new ncplane, and remove it from the z-axis. used for menus. gross.
+static inline ncplane*
+ncplane_new_uncoupled(notcurses* nc, int rows, int cols, int yoff, int xoff, void* opaque){
+  ncplane* n = ncplane_new(nc, rows, cols, yoff, xoff, opaque);
+  if(n == NULL){
+    return n;
+  }
+  assert(nc->top == n);
+  nc->top = n->z;
+  assert(nc->top != n);
+  n->z = NULL;
+  return n;
+}
+
 // Search the provided multibyte (UTF8) string 's' for the provided unicode
 // codepoint 'cp'. If found, return the column offset of the EGC in which the
 // codepoint appears in 'col', and the byte offset as the return value. If not
diff --git a/src/lib/menu.c b/src/lib/menu.c
index e2efdbb75..769ff7154 100644
--- a/src/lib/menu.c
+++ b/src/lib/menu.c
@@ -53,7 +53,11 @@ dup_menu_item(ncmenu_int_item* dst, const struct ncmenu_item* src){
     return -1;
   }
   memset(&ps, 0, sizeof(ps));
-  wcrtomb(sdup + n, src->shortcut.id, &ps);
+  if(wcrtomb(sdup + n, src->shortcut.id, &ps) == (size_t)-1){ // shouldn't happen
+    free(sdup);
+    free(dst->desc);
+    return -1;
+  }
   dst->shortdesc = sdup;
   dst->shortdesccols = mbswidth(dst->shortdesc);
   return 0;
@@ -246,7 +250,7 @@ ncmenu* ncmenu_create(notcurses* nc, const ncmenu_options* opts){
         totalwidth = dimx;
       }
       int ypos = opts->bottom ? dimy - totalheight : 0;
-      ret->ncp = ncplane_new(nc, totalheight, totalwidth, ypos, 0, NULL);
+      ret->ncp = ncplane_new_uncoupled(nc, totalheight, totalwidth, ypos, 0, NULL);
       if(ret->ncp){
         ret->unrolledsection = -1;
         ret->headerchannels = opts->headerchannels;
diff --git a/src/lib/render.c b/src/lib/render.c
index f3f6117cb..6a2f00d27 100644
--- a/src/lib/render.c
+++ b/src/lib/render.c
@@ -328,8 +328,9 @@ fprintf(stderr, "POOL: %p NC: %p SRC: %p\n", nc->pool.pool, nc, crender->p);*/
 // which cells were changed. We solve for each coordinate's cell by walking
 // down the z-buffer, looking at intersections with ncplanes. This implies
 // locking down the EGC, the attributes, and the channels for each cell.
+// 'top' is accepted so that a menu can override other planes...kinda gross :/.
 static inline int
-notcurses_render_internal(notcurses* nc, struct crender* rvec){
+notcurses_render_internal(notcurses* nc, ncplane* top, struct crender* rvec){
   if(reshape_shadow_fb(nc)){
     return -1;
   }
@@ -347,7 +348,7 @@ notcurses_render_internal(notcurses* nc, struct crender* rvec){
       cell_set_bg_alpha(c, CELL_ALPHA_TRANSPARENT);
     }
   }
-  ncplane* p = nc->top;
+  ncplane* p = top;
   while(p){
     if(paint(nc, p, rvec, fb)){
       return -1;
@@ -843,7 +844,12 @@ int notcurses_render(notcurses* nc){
   size_t crenderlen = sizeof(struct crender) * nc->stdscr->leny * nc->stdscr->lenx;
   struct crender* crender = malloc(crenderlen);
   memset(crender, 0, crenderlen);
-  if(notcurses_render_internal(nc, crender) == 0){
+  ncplane* top = nc->top;
+  if(nc->menu){
+    top = nc->menu->ncp;
+    nc->menu->ncp->z = nc->top;
+  }
+  if(notcurses_render_internal(nc, top, crender) == 0){
     bytes = notcurses_rasterize(nc, crender);
   }
   free(crender);