diff --git a/quad/quad/atomize.rkt b/quad/quad/atomize.rkt
index 3e62b07c..d8954fdc 100644
--- a/quad/quad/atomize.rkt
+++ b/quad/quad/atomize.rkt
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@
 (define/contract (atomize qx)
   ;; normalize a quad by reducing it to one-character quads.
   ;; propagate attrs downward.
-  (quad? . -> . (listof atomic-quad?))
+  ((or/c quad? string?) . -> . (listof atomic-quad?))
   (define atomic-quads
-    (let loop ([x qx][attrs (current-default-attrs)])
+    (let loop ([x (if (string? qx) (q qx) qx)][attrs (current-default-attrs)])
       (match x
         [(? char? c) (list (q attrs c))]
         [(? string?) (append* (for/list ([c (in-string x)]) ;; strings are exploded
diff --git a/quad/quad/break.rkt b/quad/quad/break.rkt
index b460a357..ed7c7f28 100644
--- a/quad/quad/break.rkt
+++ b/quad/quad/break.rkt
@@ -1,40 +1,69 @@
 #lang debug racket/base
-(require racket/contract racket/list txexpr sugar/debug racket/promise
+(require racket/contract racket/list txexpr sugar/debug sugar/list racket/promise
          "param.rkt" "qexpr.rkt" "atomize.rkt" "quad.rkt")
 (module+ test (require rackunit))
 
-(define/contract (breaks xs-in [target-size (current-line-width)])
-  (((listof atomic-quad?)) (integer?) . ->* . (listof any/c))
+(define (alternating-atomic-quads? xs)
+  (or (null? xs)
+      (and (atomic-quads? xs)
+           (not ($break? (first xs)))
+           (not ($break? (last xs)))
+           (let ([sublists (filter-split xs (compose1 not $break?))])
+             (or (null? sublists) (= 1 (apply max (map length sublists))))))))
+
+(define debug #f)
+(define/contract (breaks qs-in [target-size (current-line-width)])
+  ((alternating-atomic-quads?) (integer?) . ->* . (listof any/c))
   (define last-breakpoint-k #f)
   (define (capture-k!) (let/cc k (set! last-breakpoint-k k) #f))
-  (for/fold ([xs null]
+  (define break-here #t)
+  (define mandatory-breaks '(#\newline))
+  (for/fold ([bs null]
              [break-open? #t]
              [size-so-far 0]
-             #:result (reverse xs))
-            ([(x idx) (in-indexed xs-in)])
-    (define-values (size-start size-mid size-end breakability) (let ([x (hash-ref (qa x) 'size)])
-                                                                 (if (promise? x) (force x) (x))))
+             #:result (reverse bs))
+            ([(q qidx) (in-indexed qs-in)])
+    (define-values (size-start size-mid size-end) (let ([val (hash-ref (qa q) 'size (λ ()
+                                                                                      (if ($break? q)
+                                                                                          (delay (values 0 1 0))
+                                                                                          (delay (values 1 1 1)))))])
+                                                    (if (promise? val) (force val) (val))))
     (cond
-      [(not break-open?) (values (cons #f xs) #t (+ size-so-far size-start))]
+      [(not break-open?) (when debug (report q 'open-break))
+                         (values (cons (not break-here) bs) (not break-open?) (+ size-so-far size-start))]
       [(<= (+ size-so-far size-end) target-size) ;; check condition based on size-end (as if x were breakpoint) ...
        (cond
-         [(or (eq? breakability 'must) (and (eq? breakability 'can) (capture-k!))) ;; return point for `last-breakpoint-k`
-          (set! last-breakpoint-k #f)
-          (values (cons #f xs) #f 0)] ;; closes the break at this quad
-         [else
-          (values (cons #f xs) #t (if (zero? size-so-far) ;; we're still at start
-                                      size-start
-                                      (+ size-so-far size-mid)))])] ;; otherwise recur based on size-mid
-      ;; todo bug: but this doesn't work right with a trailing sequence of word spaces
-      
+         [(or (memv (car (qe q)) mandatory-breaks)
+              (and ($break? q) (capture-k!))) ;; return point for `last-breakpoint-k`
+          (when debug (report q 'resuming-breakpoint))
+          (set! last-breakpoint-k #f) ;; prevents continuation loop
+          (values (cons break-here bs) (not break-open?) 0)] ;; closes the break at this quad
+         [else (when debug (report q 'add-to-line))
+               (values (cons (not break-here) bs) break-open? (if (zero? size-so-far) ;; we're still at start
+                                                                  size-start
+                                                                  (+ size-so-far size-mid)))])] ;; otherwise recur based on size-mid
       ;; overflow handlers
-      [last-breakpoint-k (last-breakpoint-k #t)]
-      [else (values (cons #t xs) #t size-start)]))) ;; fallback if no last-breakpoint-k exists
+      [last-breakpoint-k (when debug (report q 'invoking-last-breakpoint))
+                         (last-breakpoint-k #t)]
+      [else (when debug (report q 'falling-back))
+            (values (cons break-here bs) break-open? size-start)]))) ;; fallback if no last-breakpoint-k exists
 
 ;; todo bug: constrain breaking to certain junctures
-(define ch (q (hasheq 'size (delay (values 1 1 1 #f))) #\c))
-(define sp (break (hasheq 'size (delay (values 0 1 0 'can))) #\space))
-(define br (break (hasheq 'size (delay (values 0 0 0 'must))) #\newline))
+(define ch (q (hasheq 'size (delay (values 1 1 1))) #\x))
+(define a (q (hasheq 'size (delay (values 1 1 1))) #\a))
+(define b (q (hasheq 'size (delay (values 1 1 1))) #\b))
+(define c (q (hasheq 'size (delay (values 1 1 1))) #\c))
+(define d (q (hasheq 'size (delay (values 1 1 1))) #\d))
+(define sp (break (hasheq 'size (delay (values 0 1 0))) #\space))
+(define br (break (hasheq 'size (delay (values 0 0 0))) #\newline))
+
+(define (visual-breaks str int)
+  (apply string (for/list ([c (in-string str)]
+                           [b (in-list (breaks (atomize str) int))])
+                          (cond
+                            [(not b) c]
+                            [(eqv? c #\space) #\|]
+                            [else #\*]))))
 
 (module+ test
   (check-equal? (breaks (list) 1) null)
@@ -46,43 +75,32 @@
   (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch ch ch ch) 3) '(#f #f #f #t #f))
   (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch ch ch ch) 1) '(#f #t #t #t #t))
   (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch ch ch ch) 10) '(#f #f #f #f #f))
-
   
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp) 1) '(#f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp sp) 1) '(#f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp sp) 2) '(#f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp sp) 3) '(#f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp sp sp) 1) '(#f #f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp sp sp) 2) '(#f #f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp sp sp) 3) '(#f #f #f))
-
-  ;; now it gets weird
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch sp) 1) '(#f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp ch) 1) '(#f #f))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list sp ch ch) 1) '(#f #f #t))
-  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch sp ch) 1) '(#f #f #t))
-  #|
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp sp ch) 1) '(#f #f #t #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp ch sp) 1) '(#f #f #t #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch ch sp ch) 2) '(#f #f #f #t))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp ch) 3) '(#f #f #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp ch ch) 3) '(#f #f #t #f))
-
-  ;; trailing spaces
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp) 3) '(#t #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp sp) 3) '(#t #f #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp sp) 2) '(#t #f #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch sp sp) 1) '(#t #f #f)) ; fails
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch sp ch) 1) '(#f #t #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch sp ch) 2) '(#f #f #t #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list a sp b) 3) '(#f #f #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch sp ch ch) 3) '(#f #t #f #f))
   
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch br ch) 2) '(#t #f #t))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch br ch ch) 3) '(#t #f #t #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch ch br ch) 3) '(#t #f #f #t))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch ch ch ch) 3) '(#t #f #f #t))
-
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch ch ch sp sp ch ch) 2) '(#t #f #t #f #f #t #f))
-  (check-equal? (break (list ch ch ch sp ch ch) 3) '(#t #f #f #f #t #f))
-  |#
-
-  )
-
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list a br b) 2) '(#f #t #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch br ch ch) 3) '(#f #t #f #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch br ch) 3) '(#f #f #t #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch ch ch) 3) '(#f #f #f #t))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch ch sp ch ch) 2) '(#f #f #t #t #f #f))
+  (check-equal? (breaks (list ch ch ch sp ch ch) 3) '(#f #f #f #t #f #f))
 
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 1) "M*|d**|h**|f****")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 2) "My|do*|ha*|fl*a*")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 3) "My|dog|has|fle*s")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 4) "My|dog|has|flea*")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 5) "My|dog|has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 6) "My dog|has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 7) "My dog|has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 8) "My dog|has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 9) "My dog|has fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 10) "My dog has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 11) "My dog has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 12) "My dog has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 13) "My dog has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 14) "My dog has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 15) "My dog has|fleas")
+  (check-equal? (visual-breaks "My dog has fleas" 16) "My dog has fleas"))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/quad/quad/pred.rkt b/quad/quad/pred.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..84e5aad1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quad/quad/pred.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+#lang racket/base
+(provide (all-defined-out))
+
+(define current-default-attrs (make-parameter (make-hasheq)))
+(define current-line-width (make-parameter 1))
\ No newline at end of file