diff --git a/app/HTML.hs b/app/HTML.hs
index d59c614..c324fa7 100644
--- a/app/HTML.hs
+++ b/app/HTML.hs
@@ -6,6 +6,19 @@ import Data.Maybe (fromMaybe)
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import IR
 
+escapeChar :: Char -> T.Text
+escapeChar '<' = "&lt;"
+escapeChar '>' = "&gt;"
+escapeChar '"' = "&quot;"
+escapeChar '\'' = "&#39;"
+escapeChar '&' = "&amp;"
+escapeChar c = T.singleton c
+
+-- not effiecient, main optimization would be to have unpack go to
+-- some haskell vector or array impl rather than the list impl
+escapeText :: T.Text -> T.Text
+escapeText = T.concat . map escapeChar . T.unpack
+
 tshow :: (Show s) => s -> T.Text
 tshow = T.pack . show
 
@@ -15,7 +28,7 @@ compileToHTML (Doc elements) = T.concat $ map elementToHTML elements
 elementToHTML :: Element -> T.Text
 elementToHTML (Heading header) = T.concat ["<h", tshow header.level, ">", serializeInlineToHTML header.text, "</h", tshow header.level, ">"]
 --
-elementToHTML (Code code_block) = T.concat ["<pre class=\"sourceCode ", language, "\"><code class=\"sourceCode ", language, "\">", code_block.code, "</code>", "</pre>"]
+elementToHTML (Code code_block) = T.concat ["<pre class=\"sourceCode ", language, "\"><code class=\"sourceCode ", language, "\">", escapeText code_block.code, "</code>", "</pre>"]
   where
     language = fromMaybe "" code_block.language
 elementToHTML (BlockQuote (Q elems)) = T.concat ["<blockquote>", serializeInlineToHTML elems, "</blockquote>"]
@@ -40,10 +53,11 @@ generateLiElems (element : remainder) =
 
 serializeInlineToHTML :: [InlineText] -> T.Text
 serializeInlineToHTML [] = ""
-serializeInlineToHTML (Text t : remaining) = t <> serializeInlineToHTML remaining
+serializeInlineToHTML (Text t : remaining) = escapeText t <> serializeInlineToHTML remaining
 serializeInlineToHTML (Bold elems : remaining) = T.concat ["<b>", serializeInlineToHTML elems, "</b>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
 serializeInlineToHTML (Italic elems : remaining) = T.concat ["<i>", serializeInlineToHTML elems, "</i>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
-serializeInlineToHTML (InlineCode code : remaining) = T.concat ["<code>", code, "</code>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
-serializeInlineToHTML (Link {linkText, url, title} : remaining) = T.concat ["<a href=\"", url, "\" ", maybe "" (\t -> T.concat ["title=\"", t, "\""]) title, "\">", serializeInlineToHTML linkText, "</a>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
-serializeInlineToHTML (Image {altText, url, title} : remaining) = T.concat ["<img src=\">", url, "\" alt=\"", altText, "\"", maybe "" (\t -> T.concat ["title=\"", t, "\""]) title, ">", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
+serializeInlineToHTML (Crossed elems : remaining) = T.concat ["<s>", serializeInlineToHTML elems, "</s>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
+serializeInlineToHTML (InlineCode code : remaining) = T.concat ["<code>", escapeText code, "</code>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
+serializeInlineToHTML (Link {linkText, url, title} : remaining) = T.concat ["<a href=\"", url, "\" ", maybe "" (\t -> T.concat ["title=\"", escapeText t, "\""]) title, "\">", serializeInlineToHTML linkText, "</a>", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
+serializeInlineToHTML (Image {altText, url, title} : remaining) = T.concat ["<img src=\">", url, "\" alt=\"", escapeText altText, "\"", maybe "" (\t -> T.concat ["title=\"", escapeText t, "\""]) title, ">", serializeInlineToHTML remaining]
 serializeInlineToHTML (HTMLInline {inline_html_content} : remaining) = inline_html_content <> serializeInlineToHTML remaining
diff --git a/app/IR.hs b/app/IR.hs
index 0e41902..29f3cd7 100644
--- a/app/IR.hs
+++ b/app/IR.hs
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ data InlineText
   = Text Text -- Combined Normal and Escaped
   | Bold [InlineText]
   | Italic [InlineText]
+  | Crossed [InlineText]
   | InlineCode Text
   | Link
       { linkText :: [InlineText],
diff --git a/app/Markdown.hs b/app/Markdown.hs
index 7f72a92..40ed572 100644
--- a/app/Markdown.hs
+++ b/app/Markdown.hs
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ inlineElement =
   choice
     [ try strong,
       try emphasis,
+      try crossedText,
       try codeSpan,
       try image,
       try link,
@@ -249,6 +250,13 @@ strongUnderscore = do
   string "__"
   pure $ Bold content
 
+crossedText :: Parser InlineText
+crossedText = do
+  string "~~"
+  content <- some (notFollowedBy (string "~~") >> inlineElementNo '~')
+  string "~~"
+  pure $ Crossed content
+
 -- Emphasis (Italic)
 emphasis :: Parser InlineText
 emphasis = emphasisAsterisk <|> emphasisUnderscore
@@ -267,6 +275,21 @@ emphasisUnderscore = do
   char '_'
   pure $ Italic content
 
+inlineElementNo :: Char -> Parser InlineText
+inlineElementNo c =
+  choice
+    [ try strong,
+      try codeSpan,
+      try image,
+      try link,
+      try htmlInline,
+      try escapedChar,
+      plainTextNo c
+    ]
+
+plainTextNo :: Char -> Parser InlineText
+plainTextNo c = fmap (Text . T.pack) $ some $ noneOf [c, '\n']
+
 inlineElementNoAsterisk :: Parser InlineText
 inlineElementNoAsterisk =
   choice
@@ -276,7 +299,7 @@ inlineElementNoAsterisk =
       try link,
       try htmlInline,
       try escapedChar,
-      plainTextNoAsterisk
+      plainTextNo '*'
     ]
 
 inlineElementNoUnderscore :: Parser InlineText
@@ -288,7 +311,7 @@ inlineElementNoUnderscore =
       try link,
       try htmlInline,
       try escapedChar,
-      plainTextNoUnderscore
+      plainTextNo '_'
     ]
 
 -- Code Span
@@ -385,11 +408,12 @@ escapedChar = do
   pure $ Text (T.singleton c)
 
 -- Plain Text
+-- TODO: this eats stuff it shouldn't, inefficient solution is to try other inline elements and exit if they succeed
 plainText :: Parser InlineText
-plainText = Text . T.pack <$> some plainTextChar
+plainText = fmap (Text . T.pack) (liftA2 (:) (noneOf "\n") $ many plainTextChar)
 
 plainTextChar :: Parser Char
-plainTextChar = noneOf "\n"
+plainTextChar = noneOf "\n[~`_*"
 
 plainTextNoAsterisk :: Parser InlineText
 plainTextNoAsterisk = fmap (Text . T.pack) $ some $ noneOf "*\n"