diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 6dd82fa..2cea83e 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -17,3 +17,6 @@
 	path = docs/doxygen-awesome-css
 	url = https://github.com/jothepro/doxygen-awesome-css.git
 
+[submodule "extern/json"]
+	path = extern/json
+	url = https://github.com/nlohmann/json.git
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d38fa27..e1a36b2 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,11 +25,13 @@ add_subdirectory(extern/SDL_mixer EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 add_subdirectory(extern/SDL_ttf EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 add_subdirectory(extern/tmxlite/tmxlite EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 
-
 file(GLOB_RECURSE SOURCES ${ENGINE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/*.cpp)
 add_library(${PROJECT_NAME} ${SOURCES})
 
-target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} PUBLIC ${ENGINE_INCLUDE_DIR})
+target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} PUBLIC
+        ${ENGINE_INCLUDE_DIR}
+        ${ENGINE_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/json/include
+)
 
 target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PUBLIC # should be private when all SDL functionality has a wrapper
     SDL3::SDL3-static
diff --git a/extern/json b/extern/json
new file mode 160000
index 0000000..d0789e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extern/json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit d0789e365da6e410f52387f19eb218dc5b6ccbf2
diff --git a/include/TextManager.h b/include/TextManager.h
index c8a8c96..3e33fb0 100644
--- a/include/TextManager.h
+++ b/include/TextManager.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include <SDL3_ttf/SDL_ttf.h>
 #include <SDL3/SDL_surface.h>
 #include <map>
+#include <string>
 
 enum DisplayOptions
 {
@@ -49,14 +50,18 @@ public:
      * */
     // TODO: change the sdl surface, i just dont know what i gotta change it to lol
     SDL_Surface* RenderText(GameInternal* game, std::string font, std::string text, DisplayOptions displayOptions, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth);
+    /*
+     * takes everything + a filepath to a dialogfile and the id for the dialog
+     * */
+    SDL_Surface* RenderTextFromFile(GameInternal* game, std::string font, std::string filepath, int id, DisplayOptions displayOptions, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth);
 
     std::map<const char*, TTF_Font*> font_cache;
 
 private:
-    SDL_Surface* RenderSolid(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, int wrapWidth);
-    SDL_Surface* RenderShaded(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth);
-    SDL_Surface* RenderBlended(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, int wrapWidth);
-    SDL_Surface* RenderLCD(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth);
+    SDL_Surface* RenderSolid(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, int wrapWidth);
+    SDL_Surface* RenderShaded(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, SDL_Color bg, int wrapWidth);
+    SDL_Surface* RenderBlended(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, int wrapWidth);
+    SDL_Surface* RenderLCD(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, SDL_Color bg, int wrapWidth);
 };
 
 #endif //CHICKENGAME_TEXTMANAGER_H
diff --git a/src/TextManager.cpp b/src/TextManager.cpp
index 13aa15a..fe3d275 100644
--- a/src/TextManager.cpp
+++ b/src/TextManager.cpp
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 #include "TextManager.h"
 
 #include <iostream>
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+#include <fstream>
 
 #include "GameInternal.h"
 #include "AssetManager.h"
 
+using json = nlohmann::json;
+
 TTF_Font* TextManager::loadFont(const char *filepath)
 {
     if(!TTF_Init())
@@ -31,28 +35,49 @@ TTF_Font* TextManager::loadFont(const char *filepath)
 SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderText(GameInternal* game, std::string font, std::string text, DisplayOptions displayOptions, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth)
 {
     TTF_Font* ttfFont = game->assets->getFont(font);
+    SDL_Surface* surface = nullptr;
+
+    SDL_Color sdlFg = {fg.r, fg.g, fg.b, fg.a};
+    SDL_Color sdlBg = {bg.r, bg.g, bg.b, bg.a};
 
     switch(displayOptions)
     {
         case SOLID:
-            RenderSolid(font, text, fg, wrapWidth);
-            return;
+            surface = RenderSolid(ttfFont, text, sdlFg, wrapWidth);
+            break;
         case SHADED:
-            RenderShaded(font, text, fg, bg, wrapWidth);
-            return;
+            surface = RenderShaded(ttfFont, text, sdlFg, sdlBg, wrapWidth);
+            break;
         case BLENDED:
-            RenderBlended(font, text, fg, wrapWidth)
-            return;
+            surface = RenderBlended(ttfFont, text, sdlFg, wrapWidth);
+            break;
         case LCD:
-            RenderLCD(font, text, fg, bg, wrapWidth);
-            return;
+            surface = RenderLCD(ttfFont, text, sdlFg, sdlBg, wrapWidth);
+            break;
         default:
             std::cerr << "Invalid display option!" << std::endl;
-            return;
+            break;
     }
+
+    if(!surface)
+        std::cerr << "Error when rendering text!" << std::endl;
+
+    return surface;
 }
 
-SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderSolid(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, int wrapWidth)
+SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderTextFromFile(GameInternal* game, std::string font, std::string filepath, int id, DisplayOptions displayOptions, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth)
+{
+    std::ifstream f(filepath);
+    json data = json::parse(f);
+
+    // logic to parse dialogline
+
+    std::string text = "placeholder so i dont get compile errors :3";
+
+    return RenderText(game, font, text, displayOptions, fg, bg, wrapWidth);
+}
+
+SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderSolid(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, int wrapWidth)
 {
     if(wrapWidth == -1)
         return TTF_RenderText_Solid(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg);
@@ -60,7 +85,7 @@ SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderSolid(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg
     return TTF_RenderText_Solid_Wrapped(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg, wrapWidth);
 }
 
-SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderShaded(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth)
+SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderShaded(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, SDL_Color bg, int wrapWidth)
 {
     if(wrapWidth == -1)
         return TTF_RenderText_Shaded(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg, bg);
@@ -68,7 +93,7 @@ SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderShaded(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color f
     return TTF_RenderText_Shaded_Wrapped(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg, bg, wrapWidth);
 }
 
-SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderBlended(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, int wrapWidth)
+SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderBlended(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, int wrapWidth)
 {
     if(wrapWidth == -1)
         return TTF_RenderText_Blended(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg);
@@ -76,7 +101,7 @@ SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderBlended(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color
     return TTF_RenderText_Blended_Wrapped(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg, wrapWidth);
 }
 
-SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderLCD(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, Color fg, Color bg, int wrapWidth)
+SDL_Surface* TextManager::RenderLCD(TTF_Font* font, std::string text, SDL_Color fg, SDL_Color bg, int wrapWidth)
 {
     if(wrapWidth == -1)
         return TTF_RenderText_LCD(font, text.c_str(), text.length(), fg, bg);