diff --git a/src/core/strings/str8/str8.c b/src/core/strings/str8/str8.c
index faa4355..9b221a7 100644
--- a/src/core/strings/str8/str8.c
+++ b/src/core/strings/str8/str8.c
@@ -1,14 +1,4 @@
 #include "str8.h"
-#include <string.h>
-
-Str8 wapp_str8_lit(char *str) {
-  if (!str) {
-    return (Str8){.capacity = 0, .size = 0, .buf = (u8 *)""};
-  }
-
-  u64 size = strlen(str);
-  return (Str8){.capacity = size, .size = size, .buf = (u8 *)str};
-}
 
 char wapp_str8_get(const Str8 *str, u64 index) {
   if (index >= str->size) {
@@ -23,5 +13,5 @@ void wapp_str8_set(Str8 *str, u64 index, char c) {
     return;
   }
 
-  str->buf[index] = (u8)c;
+  str->buf[index] = (c8)c;
 }
diff --git a/src/core/strings/str8/str8.h b/src/core/strings/str8/str8.h
index c497dcb..b72763d 100644
--- a/src/core/strings/str8/str8.h
+++ b/src/core/strings/str8/str8.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define STR8_H
 
 #include "aliases.h"
+#include <string.h>
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 BEGIN_C_LINKAGE
@@ -11,12 +12,17 @@ typedef struct str8 Str8;
 struct str8 {
   u64 capacity;
   u64 size;
-  u8 *buf;
+  c8 *buf;
 };
 
-#define wapp_str8_buf(CAPACITY) ((Str8){.capacity = CAPACITY, .size = 0, .buf = (u8[CAPACITY]){0}})
+#define wapp_str8_buf(CAPACITY) ((Str8){.capacity = CAPACITY, .size = 0, .buf = (c8[CAPACITY]){0}})
+
+// Utilises the fact that memcpy returns pointer to dest buffer and that getting
+// address of compound literals is valid in C to create a string on the stack
+#define wapp_str8_lit(STRING) ((Str8){.capacity = sizeof(STRING) - 1, \
+                                      .size     = sizeof(STRING) - 1, \
+                                      .buf      = memcpy(&((c8 [sizeof(STRING)]){0}), STRING, sizeof(STRING))})
 
-Str8 wapp_str8_lit(char *str);
 char wapp_str8_get(const Str8 *str, u64 index);
 void wapp_str8_set(Str8 *str, u64 index, char c);