diff --git a/source/tycho/data/ui.xml b/source/tycho/data/ui.xml
index 70b0c46..b25fa04 100644
--- a/source/tycho/data/ui.xml
+++ b/source/tycho/data/ui.xml
@@ -1,28 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <!-- Generated with glade 3.22.1 
 
-The MIT License (MIT)
-
-Copyright (c) 2018-2019 Alison Sanderson
-
-Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
-of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
-in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
-to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
-copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
-furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
-
-The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
-all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
-
-THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
-IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
-FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
-AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
-LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
-OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
-THE SOFTWARE.
-
 Author: Alison Sanderson
 
 -->
@@ -31,7 +9,6 @@ Author: Alison Sanderson
   <!-- interface-license-type mit -->
   <!-- interface-name Maraiah Tycho -->
   <!-- interface-description Tycho map editor for Maraiah. -->
-  <!-- interface-copyright 2018-2019 Alison Sanderson -->
   <!-- interface-authors Alison Sanderson -->
   <object class="GtkAdjustment" id="adj-map-horz">
     <property name="upper">100</property>
diff --git a/source/tycho/interfaces.rs b/source/tycho/interfaces.rs
index e6cc1bd..4f19ce2 100644
--- a/source/tycho/interfaces.rs
+++ b/source/tycho/interfaces.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ use gtk_sys::*;
 use maraiah::{c_str,
               durandal::{ffi, image::*},
               rozinante::{draw::*, editor}};
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
 
 /// Converts a `Color` to a `f64` triple.
 fn flt_color(cr: impl Color) -> (f64, f64, f64)
@@ -129,35 +130,7 @@ impl MapEditor
    pub fn cause_update(&mut self)
    {
       unsafe {
-         gtk_widget_queue_draw(self.draw);
-      }
-   }
-
-   /// Sets the drawing area widget.
-   pub fn set_draw(&mut self, draw: *mut GtkWidget)
-   {
-      self.draw = draw;
-      unsafe {
-         g_object_ref(self.draw as _);
-      }
-   }
-}
-
-impl Default for MapEditor
-{
-   fn default() -> Self
-   {
-      Self{edit: editor::MapEditor::default(),
-           draw: ffi::null_mut()}
-   }
-}
-
-impl Drop for MapEditor
-{
-   fn drop(&mut self)
-   {
-      unsafe {
-         g_object_unref(self.draw as _);
+         gtk_widget_queue_draw(*self.draw);
       }
    }
 }
@@ -176,6 +149,32 @@ impl std::ops::DerefMut for MapEditor
    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {&mut self.edit}
 }
 
+impl<T> std::ops::Deref for Refc<'_, T>
+{
+   type Target = *mut T;
+
+   fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {&self.p}
+}
+
+impl<T> Drop for Refc<'_, T>
+{
+   fn drop(&mut self)
+   {
+      unsafe {
+         g_object_unref(self.p as _);
+      }
+   }
+}
+
+impl<T> Refc<'_, T>
+{
+   /// Creates a new `Refc` which will own an already referenced object.
+   pub const fn new(p: *mut T) -> Self {Self{p, l: PhantomData}}
+
+   /// Creates a new `Refc` which will hold a reference to the object.
+   pub fn own(p: *mut T) -> Self {unsafe {g_object_ref(p as _);} Self::new(p)}
+}
+
 /// An image for a `CrDrawArea`.
 pub struct CrImage(pub *const GdkPixbuf);
 
@@ -190,11 +189,18 @@ pub struct CrDrawArea
 /// Specialized map editor which has callbacks for frontend purposes.
 pub struct MapEditor
 {
-   edit: editor::MapEditor,
-   draw: *mut GtkWidget,
+   pub edit: editor::MapEditor,
+   pub draw: Refc<'static, GtkWidget>,
 }
 
 /// A runtime reference to the map editor.
 pub type MapEditorRef = std::cell::RefCell<MapEditor>;
 
+/// A GObject owned pointer.
+pub struct Refc<'a, T>
+{
+   p: *mut T,
+   l: PhantomData<&'a *mut T>,
+}
+
 // EOF
diff --git a/source/tycho/main.rs b/source/tycho/main.rs
index b14d499..b5742bf 100644
--- a/source/tycho/main.rs
+++ b/source/tycho/main.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use glib_sys::*;
 use gobject_sys::*;
 use gtk_sys::*;
 use maraiah::{c_str, durandal::ffi};
-use std::{cell::RefCell, marker::PhantomData, rc::Rc};
+use std::{cell::RefCell, rc::Rc};
 
 const ACTIVATE:     ffi::NT = c_str!("activate");
 const APP_ID:       ffi::NT = c_str!("net.greyserv.maraiah.tycho");
@@ -21,22 +21,31 @@ const PATH_BUILDER: ffi::NT = c_str!("/net/greyserv/maraiah/tycho/ui");
 const PATH_CSS:     ffi::NT = c_str!("/net/greyserv/maraiah/tycho/css");
 
 /// Called when the application activates in order to set everything up.
-unsafe extern "C" fn app_activate(app: *mut GtkApplication, edit: gpointer)
+unsafe extern "C" fn app_activate(app: *mut GtkApplication, _: gpointer)
 {
-   // this ref will be cloned around a bit, but will ultimately be dropped at
-   // the end of this function.
-   let edit = Rc::from_raw(edit as *const MapEditorRef);
-
-   setup_css();
+   /// Callback to finalize the reference.
+   unsafe extern "C" fn c_done(_: *mut GtkWidget, ptr: gpointer)
+   {
+      let edit = Rc::from_raw(ptr as *const MapEditorRef);
+      assert_eq!(Rc::strong_count(&edit), 1);
+   }
 
    let b = Refc::new(gtk_builder_new_from_resource(PATH_BUILDER));
 
+   let edit = MapEditor{edit: Default::default(),
+                        draw: Refc::own(get_obj(&b, c_str!("draw-area")))};
+   let edit = RefCell::new(edit);
+   let edit = Rc::new(edit);
+
+   setup_css();
    setup_draw_area(&b, edit.clone());
    setup_win_map_view(&b);
    setup_win_map_tools(&b);
    setup_win_map_prop(&b);
    setup_about_dlg(&b);
    setup_win_main(&b, app, edit.clone());
+
+   connect(app, c_str!("shutdown"), c_done as _, Rc::into_raw(edit));
 }
 
 /// Sets up the map view window's drawing area.
@@ -84,14 +93,9 @@ unsafe fn setup_draw_area(b: &Refc<GtkBuilder>, edit: Rc<MapEditorRef>)
 
    let wid = get_obj::<GtkDrawingArea>(b, c_str!("draw-area"));
 
-   edit.borrow_mut().set_draw(wid as _);
-
    // get all of the necessary state and related objects
-   let ax = Refc::new(get_obj::<GtkAdjustment>(b, c_str!("adj-map-horz")));
-   let ay = Refc::new(get_obj::<GtkAdjustment>(b, c_str!("adj-map-vert")));
-
-   g_object_ref(*ax as _);
-   g_object_ref(*ay as _);
+   let ax = Refc::own(get_obj(b, c_str!("adj-map-horz")));
+   let ay = Refc::own(get_obj(b, c_str!("adj-map-vert")));
 
    let im_nomap = Refc::new(load_img(IM_NOMAP));
 
@@ -268,7 +272,7 @@ unsafe fn setup_win_main(b: &Refc<GtkBuilder>,
    }
 
    // set up main window
-   let win = get_obj::<GtkWindow>(b, c_str!("win-main"));
+   let win = get_obj(b, c_str!("win-main"));
 
    setup_explicit_drop(b, win);
 
@@ -382,13 +386,14 @@ unsafe fn connect_show<T, U>(btn: *mut T, wid: *mut U)
    connect(btn, ACTIVATE, c_show_act as _, wid);
 }
 
-/// Connects a reference-counted object to a widget.
-unsafe fn connect_ref<T, U>(obj: *mut T, rc: Rc<U>) -> *const U
+/// Connects the map editor reference to a widget.
+unsafe fn connect_ref<T>(obj: *mut T, rc: Rc<MapEditorRef>)
+   -> *const MapEditorRef
 {
    /// Callback to finalize the reference.
-   unsafe extern "C" fn c_done(_: *mut GtkWidget, edit: gpointer)
+   unsafe extern "C" fn c_done(_: *mut GtkWidget, ptr: gpointer)
    {
-      Rc::from_raw(edit as *const MapEditorRef);
+      Rc::from_raw(ptr as *const MapEditorRef);
    }
 
    let ptr = Rc::into_raw(rc);
@@ -435,56 +440,18 @@ fn main()
       // init it, now we can use it throughout the entire app without copying!
       g_static_resource_init(&mut resource);
 
-      // create a container for the editor state
-      let edit = MapEditor::default();
-      let edit = RefCell::new(edit);
-      let edit = Rc::new(edit);
-      let eptr = Rc::into_raw(edit.clone());
+      {
+         // create and run the app
+         let app = Refc::new(gtk_application_new(APP_ID, 0));
 
-      // create and run the app
-      let app = Refc::new(gtk_application_new(APP_ID, 0));
+         connect(*app, ACTIVATE, app_activate as _, ffi::null_void());
 
-      connect(*app, ACTIVATE, app_activate as _, eptr);
-
-      g_application_run(*app as _, 0, ffi::null_mut());
-
-      // ok, clean up all this crap now
-      drop(app);
-
-      assert_eq!(Rc::strong_count(&edit), 1);
-      drop(edit);
+         g_application_run(*app as _, 0, ffi::null_mut());
+      }
 
       // deinit the "static" data, and everything will be done
       g_static_resource_fini(&mut resource);
    }
 }
 
-impl<T> std::ops::Deref for Refc<'_, T>
-{
-   type Target = *mut T;
-
-   fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {&self.p}
-}
-
-impl<T> Drop for Refc<'_, T>
-{
-   fn drop(&mut self)
-   {
-      unsafe {
-         g_object_unref(self.p as _);
-      }
-   }
-}
-
-impl<T> Refc<'_, T>
-{
-   fn new(p: *mut T) -> Self {Self{p, l: PhantomData}}
-}
-
-struct Refc<'a, T>
-{
-   p: *mut T,
-   l: PhantomData<&'a *mut T>,
-}
-
 // EOF