diff --git a/src/jolt/clojure/java/io.clj b/src/jolt/clojure/java/io.clj
index 7f87a4c..1848a54 100644
--- a/src/jolt/clojure/java/io.clj
+++ b/src/jolt/clojure/java/io.clj
@@ -26,7 +26,13 @@
     ;; java.io.Reader surface (.read/.mark/.reset) plus line-seq's
     ;; :read-line-fn, which a raw janet file handle has neither of
     :else (java.io.StringReader. (janet/slurp (str x)))))
-(defn writer [x] (janet.file/open (str x) :w))
+(defn writer [x]
+  (cond
+    ;; already a Writer/StringWriter shim — pass through, like the JVM's
+    ;; io/writer on a Writer (markdown-clj's md-to-html writes into a StringWriter)
+    (= :jolt/writer (get x :jolt/type)) x
+    (= :core/file (janet/type x)) x          ; already a janet file handle
+    :else (janet.file/open (str x) :w)))     ; a path
 (defn input-stream [x] (reader x))
 (defn output-stream [x] (writer x))
 
diff --git a/src/jolt/core.janet b/src/jolt/core.janet
index fa78e65..6bd1f6c 100644
--- a/src/jolt/core.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/core.janet
@@ -1237,7 +1237,11 @@
              (set cur (ls-rest cur)))
            (if (seq-done? cur) nil (realize-ls cur))))
        (make-lazy-seq (dwstep coll)))
-     (let [c (realize-for-iteration coll)]
+     # A string iterates as a seq of chars in Clojure; realize-for-iteration
+     # passes strings through, so char-seq it here (as take-while/remove do) —
+     # otherwise pred sees raw bytes and array/slice rejects the string.
+     (let [c0 (realize-for-iteration coll)
+           c (if (string? c0) (map make-char (string/bytes c0)) c0)]
        (var start 0)
        (while (and (< start (length c)) (pred (c start)))
          (++ start))
diff --git a/src/jolt/javatime.janet b/src/jolt/javatime.janet
index 5986d4d..2dcf199 100644
--- a/src/jolt/javatime.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/javatime.janet
@@ -176,7 +176,9 @@
     :buf (cond (nil? init) @"" (number? init) (buffer/new init) (buffer init))})
 
 (defn make-string-writer []
-  @{:jolt/type :jolt/writer :buf @"" :sink nil})
+  # :close lets with-open close the writer (core-close-resource calls :close);
+  # it's a no-op so .toString after with-open still sees the buffer.
+  @{:jolt/type :jolt/writer :buf @"" :sink nil :close (fn [] nil)})
 (defn make-out-writer []
   @{:jolt/type :jolt/writer :buf nil :sink prin})
 
@@ -186,6 +188,12 @@
     (and (struct? x) (= :jolt/char (get x :jolt/type))) (string/from-bytes (x :ch))
     (string x)))
 
+# Writer.write(int) writes the CHAR for that code (unlike StringBuilder.append(int),
+# which appends the int's digits). jolt chars are bytes, so this round-trips UTF-8
+# byte-for-byte with readLine.
+(defn- writer-piece [x]
+  (if (number? x) (string/from-bytes (math/trunc x)) (render-piece x)))
+
 # Read one unit from any reader-ish value: our shims dispatch through their
 # tagged "read"; a janet core/file reads one byte. -1 at EOF.
 (defn- read-unit [r]
@@ -221,6 +229,7 @@
                  (let [b ((self :s) (self :pos))]
                    (put self :pos (+ 1 (self :pos)))
                    b)))
+      "readLine" (fn [self] ((self :read-line-fn)))
       "mark" (fn [self &opt limit] (put self :marked (self :pos)) nil)
       "reset" (fn [self] (put self :pos (or (self :marked) 0)) nil)
       "skip" (fn [self n] (put self :pos (min (length (self :s)) (+ (self :pos) n))) n)
@@ -232,8 +241,8 @@
   (register-tagged-methods! :jolt/writer
     @{"write"    (fn [self x]
                    (if (self :sink)
-                     ((self :sink) (render-piece x))
-                     (buffer/push-string (self :buf) (render-piece x)))
+                     ((self :sink) (writer-piece x))
+                     (buffer/push-string (self :buf) (writer-piece x)))
                    nil)
       "append"   (fn [self x]
                    (if (self :sink)
diff --git a/src/jolt/reader.janet b/src/jolt/reader.janet
index 9673b6d..af38533 100644
--- a/src/jolt/reader.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/reader.janet
@@ -456,6 +456,10 @@
             (cond (= i :rest) (set has-rest true)
                   (and i (> i max-n)) (set max-n i)))
         (or (array? f) (tuple? f)) (each x f (scan-pct x))
+        # set literal form — scan its elements (#(... #{%} ...))
+        (and (struct? f) (= :jolt/set (f :jolt/type))) (each x (f :value) (scan-pct x))
+        # map literal form — scan its keys AND values (#(... {:k %} ...))
+        (not (nil? (form-kv-order f))) (each x (form-kv-order f) (scan-pct x))
         nil))
     (scan-pct form)
     # One canonical gensym per slot 1..max-n (placeholders for unused), plus rest.
@@ -473,6 +477,10 @@
                   f))
         (array? f) (array ;(map replace-pct f))
         (tuple? f) (tuple ;(map replace-pct f))
+        (and (struct? f) (= :jolt/set (f :jolt/type)))
+          {:jolt/type :jolt/set :value (tuple ;(map replace-pct (f :value)))}
+        (not (nil? (form-kv-order f)))
+          (reader-map (array ;(map replace-pct (form-kv-order f))))
         f))
     (def replaced (replace-pct form))
     (def arg-names @[])
diff --git a/src/jolt/regex.janet b/src/jolt/regex.janet
index f7e4862..4b239d0 100644
--- a/src/jolt/regex.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/regex.janet
@@ -397,7 +397,9 @@
         (array/push out (groups->result g (re :ngroups)))
         (set pos (+ pos (max 1 (length whole)))))
       (++ pos)))
-  out)
+  # Clojure's re-seq is nil (not an empty seq) when there are no matches, so
+  # `(if-let [m (re-seq ...)] ...)` works — an empty seq would be truthy.
+  (if (= 0 (length out)) nil out))
 
 (defn re-split [re s]
   (def re (re-pattern re))