diff --git a/apps/demos/scenery/scenes/title.c b/apps/demos/scenery/scenes/title.c
index 6af9e34..a642427 100644
--- a/apps/demos/scenery/scenes/title.c
+++ b/apps/demos/scenery/scenes/title.c
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ static void title_tick(State *state) {
             ((float)ctx.resolution.x / 2) - ((float)320 / 2), 64, 320, 128 }));
 
     /* draw the tick count as an example of dynamic text */
-    size_t text_str_len = snprintf(NULL, 0, "%lu", state->ctx->frame_number) + 1;
+    size_t text_str_len = snprintf(NULL, 0, "%llu", state->ctx->frame_number) + 1;
     char *text_str = cmalloc(text_str_len);
-    snprintf(text_str, text_str_len, "%lu", state->ctx->frame_number);
+    snprintf(text_str, text_str_len, "%llu", state->ctx->frame_number);
 
     const char *font = "/fonts/kenney-pixel.ttf";
     int text_h = 32;
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ static void title_tick(State *state) {
     );
 
     draw_text(text_str, (Vec2){ 0, 0 }, text_h, (Color) { 255, 255, 255, 255 }, font);
-
     free(text_str);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/twn_draw.h b/include/twn_draw.h
index 58f1930..59850b3 100644
--- a/include/twn_draw.h
+++ b/include/twn_draw.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ TWN_API void draw_sprite(char const *path,
 TWN_API void draw_rectangle(Rect rect, Color color);
 
 /* pushes a filled circle onto the circle render queue */
+/* note that its edges may look jagged with a radius larger than 2048 */
 TWN_API void draw_circle(Vec2 position, float radius, Color color);
 
 /* TODO: have font optional, with something minimal coming embedded */
diff --git a/src/rendering/twn_circles.c b/src/rendering/twn_circles.c
index ec715a5..16eb8fe 100644
--- a/src/rendering/twn_circles.c
+++ b/src/rendering/twn_circles.c
@@ -22,18 +22,14 @@ void draw_circle(Vec2 position, float radius, Color color) {
     arrput(ctx.render_queue_2d, primitive);
 }
 
-/* TODO: caching and reuse scheme */
-/* vertices_out and indices_out MUST BE FREED */
+
 void create_circle_geometry(Vec2 position,
                             Color color,
                             float radius,
                             size_t num_vertices,
-                            SDL_Vertex **vertices_out,
-                            int **indices_out)
+                            SDL_Vertex vertices[],
+                            int indices[])
 {
-    SDL_Vertex *vertices = cmalloc(sizeof *vertices * (num_vertices + 1));
-    int *indices = cmalloc(sizeof *indices * (num_vertices * 3));
-
     /* the angle (in radians) to rotate by on each iteration */
     float seg_rotation_angle = (360.0f / (float)num_vertices) * ((float)M_PI / 180);
 
@@ -82,7 +78,4 @@ void create_circle_geometry(Vec2 position,
             index = num_vertices;
         indices[triangle_offset + 2] = (int)index;
     }
-
-    *vertices_out = vertices;
-    *indices_out = indices;
 }
diff --git a/src/rendering/twn_draw_c.h b/src/rendering/twn_draw_c.h
index f2a6566..f4adb0c 100644
--- a/src/rendering/twn_draw_c.h
+++ b/src/rendering/twn_draw_c.h
@@ -126,12 +126,14 @@ void render(void);
 /* clears all render queues */
 void render_queue_clear(void);
 
+/* fills two existing arrays with the geometry data of a circle */
+/* the size of indices must be at least 3 times the number of vertices */
 void create_circle_geometry(Vec2 position,
                             Color color,
                             float radius,
                             size_t num_vertices,
-                            SDL_Vertex **vertices_out,
-                            int **indices_out);
+                            SDL_Vertex vertices[],
+                            int indices[]);
 
 struct QuadBatch {
     size_t size;             /* how many primitives are in current batch */
diff --git a/src/rendering/twn_gl_15_rendering.c b/src/rendering/twn_gl_15_rendering.c
index 9ca147e..a2cf4cb 100644
--- a/src/rendering/twn_gl_15_rendering.c
+++ b/src/rendering/twn_gl_15_rendering.c
@@ -87,6 +87,9 @@ typedef enum {
 static Pipeline pipeline_last_used = PIPELINE_NO;
 
 
+#define CIRCLE_VERTICES_MAX 2048
+
+
 void use_space_pipeline(void) {
     if (pipeline_last_used == PIPELINE_SPACE)
         return;
@@ -166,16 +169,16 @@ void use_2d_pipeline(void) {
 
 
 void render_circle(const CirclePrimitive *circle) {
-    SDL_Vertex *vertices = NULL;
-    int *indices = NULL;
-    int num_vertices = (int)circle->radius;
+    static SDL_Vertex vertices[CIRCLE_VERTICES_MAX];
+    static int indices[CIRCLE_VERTICES_MAX * 3];
+    int num_vertices = MIN((int)circle->radius, CIRCLE_VERTICES_MAX-1);
 
     create_circle_geometry(circle->position,
                            circle->color,
                            circle->radius,
                            num_vertices,
-                           &vertices,
-                           &indices);
+                           vertices,
+                           indices);
 
     glEnableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);
     glVertexPointer(2,
@@ -196,9 +199,6 @@ void render_circle(const CirclePrimitive *circle) {
 
     glDisableClientState(GL_COLOR_ARRAY);
     glDisableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);
-
-    SDL_free(vertices);
-    SDL_free(indices);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/rendering/twn_text.c b/src/rendering/twn_text.c
index 7a634e3..82cb153 100644
--- a/src/rendering/twn_text.c
+++ b/src/rendering/twn_text.c
@@ -31,6 +31,19 @@ typedef struct StringArena {
 static StringArena string_arena;
 
 
+typedef struct FontFileBuffer {
+    size_t len;
+    unsigned char *buffer;
+} FontFileBuffer;
+
+typedef struct FontFileCacheItem {
+    char *key;
+    FontFileBuffer value;
+} FontFileCacheItem;
+
+static FontFileCacheItem *font_file_cache_hash;
+
+
 static void string_arena_init(StringArena *arena) {
     arena->head = cmalloc(sizeof *arena->head);
     arena->current_block = arena->head;
@@ -102,13 +115,23 @@ static FontData *text_load_font_data(const char *path, int height_px) {
     unsigned char* bitmap = ccalloc(ctx.font_texture_size * ctx.font_texture_size, 1);
 
     {
-        unsigned char *buf = NULL; 
-        int64_t buf_len = file_to_bytes(path, &buf);
+        unsigned char *buf = NULL;
+        int64_t buf_len = 0;
+
+        /* if the file was already loaded just get it */
+        FontFileCacheItem *font_file_ptr = shgetp_null(font_file_cache_hash, path);
+        if (font_file_ptr != NULL) {
+            buf = font_file_ptr->value.buffer;
+            buf_len = font_file_ptr->value.len;
+        } else {
+            buf_len = file_to_bytes(path, &buf);
+            FontFileBuffer buffer = { buf_len, buf };
+            shput(font_file_cache_hash, path, buffer);
+        }
+
         stbtt_InitFont(&font_data->info, buf, stbtt_GetFontOffsetForIndex(buf, 0));
         
         /* might as well get these now, for later */
-        font_data->file_bytes = buf;
-        font_data->file_bytes_len = buf_len;
         font_data->scale_factor = stbtt_ScaleForPixelHeight(&font_data->info, (float)height_px);
         stbtt_GetFontVMetrics(
             &font_data->info,
@@ -142,7 +165,6 @@ static FontData *text_load_font_data(const char *path, int height_px) {
 
 
 static void text_destroy_font_data(FontData *font_data) {
-    SDL_free(font_data->file_bytes);
     delete_gpu_texture(font_data->texture);
     SDL_free(font_data);
 }
@@ -192,7 +214,7 @@ static void text_draw_with(FontData* font_data, char* text, Vec2 position, Color
 
 
 static void ensure_font_cache(const char *font_path, int height_px) {
-    /* HACK: stupid, bad, don't do this */
+    /* HACK: don't */
     bool is_cached = false;
     for (size_t i = 0; i < arrlenu(ctx.text_cache.data); ++i) {
         FontData *font_data = ctx.text_cache.data[i];
@@ -229,6 +251,8 @@ void render_text(const TextPrimitive *text) {
 void text_cache_init(TextCache *cache) {
     arrsetlen(cache->data, 0);
     string_arena_init(&string_arena);
+
+    sh_new_arena(font_file_cache_hash);
 }
 
 
@@ -237,8 +261,13 @@ void text_cache_deinit(TextCache *cache) {
         text_destroy_font_data(ctx.text_cache.data[i]);
     }
 
-    arrfree(cache->data);
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < shlenu(font_file_cache_hash); ++i) {
+        SDL_free(font_file_cache_hash[i].value.buffer);
+    }
+    shfree(font_file_cache_hash);
+
     string_arena_deinit(&string_arena);
+    arrfree(cache->data);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/rendering/twn_text_c.h b/src/rendering/twn_text_c.h
index f73648e..6b3b9c9 100644
--- a/src/rendering/twn_text_c.h
+++ b/src/rendering/twn_text_c.h
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ typedef struct FontData {
     stbtt_fontinfo info;
 
     const char *file_path;
-    unsigned char *file_bytes;
-    size_t file_bytes_len;
 
     GPUTexture texture;