diff --git a/include/athena/DNAYaml.hpp b/include/athena/DNAYaml.hpp
index 5e3ffb0..0b295aa 100644
--- a/include/athena/DNAYaml.hpp
+++ b/include/athena/DNAYaml.hpp
@@ -493,6 +493,58 @@ inline std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode> ValToNode(const wchar_t* val)
     return ValToNode<const std::wstring&>(wstr);
 }
 
+template <>
+inline std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode> ValToNode(const std::u16string& val)
+{
+    YAMLNode* ret = new YAMLNode(YAML_SCALAR_NODE);
+    ret->m_scalarString.reserve(val.length());
+    for (char16_t ch : val)
+    {
+        utf8proc_uint8_t mb[4];
+        utf8proc_ssize_t c = utf8proc_encode_char(utf8proc_int32_t(ch), mb);
+        if (c < 0)
+        {
+            atWarning("invalid UTF-8 character while encoding");
+            return std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode>(ret);
+        }
+        ret->m_scalarString.append(reinterpret_cast<char*>(mb), c);
+    }
+    return std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode>(ret);
+}
+
+template <>
+inline std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode> ValToNode(const char16_t* val)
+{
+    std::u16string wstr(val);
+    return ValToNode<const std::u16string&>(wstr);
+}
+
+template <>
+inline std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode> ValToNode(const std::u32string& val)
+{
+    YAMLNode* ret = new YAMLNode(YAML_SCALAR_NODE);
+    ret->m_scalarString.reserve(val.length());
+    for (char32_t ch : val)
+    {
+        utf8proc_uint8_t mb[4];
+        utf8proc_ssize_t c = utf8proc_encode_char(utf8proc_int32_t(ch), mb);
+        if (c < 0)
+        {
+            atWarning("invalid UTF-8 character while encoding");
+            return std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode>(ret);
+        }
+        ret->m_scalarString.append(reinterpret_cast<char*>(mb), c);
+    }
+    return std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode>(ret);
+}
+
+template <>
+inline std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode> ValToNode(const char32_t* val)
+{
+    std::u32string wstr(val);
+    return ValToNode<const std::u32string&>(wstr);
+}
+
 class YAMLDocReader
 {
     std::unique_ptr<YAMLNode> m_rootNode;
@@ -1106,6 +1158,26 @@ public:
     {
         writeVal<const wchar_t*>(name, val);
     }
+
+    inline void writeU16String(const char* name, const std::u16string& val)
+    {
+        writeVal<std::u16string>(name, val);
+    }
+
+    inline void writeU16String(const char* name, const char16_t* val)
+    {
+        writeVal<const char16_t*>(name, val);
+    }
+
+    inline void writeU32String(const char* name, const std::u32string& val)
+    {
+        writeVal<std::u32string>(name, val);
+    }
+
+    inline void writeU32String(const char* name, const char32_t* val)
+    {
+        writeVal<const char32_t*>(name, val);
+    }
 };
 
 int YAMLAthenaReader(athena::io::IStreamReader* reader,
diff --git a/include/athena/IStreamReader.hpp b/include/athena/IStreamReader.hpp
index cf8a221..e4963cd 100644
--- a/include/athena/IStreamReader.hpp
+++ b/include/athena/IStreamReader.hpp
@@ -1127,6 +1127,72 @@ public:
     inline std::wstring readValBig(typename std::enable_if<std::is_same<T, std::wstring>::value>::type* = 0)
     {return readWStringBig();}
 
+    /** @brief Reads a u16string assuming big-endian characters
+     *         and advances the position in the file
+     *
+     *  @param fixedLen If non-negative, this is a fixed-length string read
+     *  @return The read wstring
+     */
+    inline std::u16string readU16StringBig(atInt32 fixedLen = -1)
+    {
+        if (fixedLen == 0)
+            return std::u16string();
+        std::u16string ret;
+        char16_t chr = readUint16Big();
+
+        atInt32 i;
+        for (i = 1 ; chr != 0 ; ++i)
+        {
+            ret += chr;
+
+            if (fixedLen >= 0 && i >= fixedLen)
+                break;
+
+            chr = readUint16Big();
+        }
+
+        if (fixedLen >= 0 && i < fixedLen)
+            seek(fixedLen - i);
+
+        return ret;
+    }
+    template <class T>
+    inline std::u16string readValBig(typename std::enable_if<std::is_same<T, std::u16string>::value>::type* = 0)
+    {return readU16StringBig();}
+
+    /** @brief Reads a u32string assuming big-endian characters
+     *         and advances the position in the file
+     *
+     *  @param fixedLen If non-negative, this is a fixed-length string read
+     *  @return The read wstring
+     */
+    inline std::u32string readU32StringBig(atInt32 fixedLen = -1)
+    {
+        if (fixedLen == 0)
+            return std::u32string();
+        std::u32string ret;
+        char32_t chr = readUint32Big();
+
+        atInt32 i;
+        for (i = 1 ; chr != 0 ; ++i)
+        {
+            ret += chr;
+
+            if (fixedLen >= 0 && i >= fixedLen)
+                break;
+
+            chr = readUint32Big();
+        }
+
+        if (fixedLen >= 0 && i < fixedLen)
+            seek(fixedLen - i);
+
+        return ret;
+    }
+    template <class T>
+    inline std::u32string readValBig(typename std::enable_if<std::is_same<T, std::u32string>::value>::type* = 0)
+    {return readU32StringBig();}
+
     /** @brief Performs automatic std::vector enumeration reads using numeric type T
      *
      *  @param vector The std::vector to clear and populate using read data
diff --git a/include/athena/IStreamWriter.hpp b/include/athena/IStreamWriter.hpp
index 8829aef..ae50c0f 100644
--- a/include/athena/IStreamWriter.hpp
+++ b/include/athena/IStreamWriter.hpp
@@ -979,7 +979,7 @@ public:
 
         if (fixedLen < 0)
         {
-            for (atUint16 c : str)
+            for (wchar_t c : str)
             {
                 writeUint16Big(c);
 
@@ -993,7 +993,7 @@ public:
             auto it = str.begin();
             for (atInt32 i=0 ; i<fixedLen ; ++i)
             {
-                atUint16 chr;
+                wchar_t chr;
                 if (it == str.end())
                     chr = 0;
                 else
@@ -1004,6 +1004,84 @@ public:
     }
     inline void writeValBig(const std::wstring& val) {writeWStringBig(val);}
 
+    /** @brief Writes a u16string to the buffer and advances the buffer.
+     *
+     *  @param str The string to write to the buffer
+     *  @param fixedLen If not -1, the number of characters to zero-fill string to
+     *
+     *  Endianness is big
+     */
+    inline void writeU16StringBig(const std::u16string& str, atInt32 fixedLen = -1)
+    {
+        if (fixedLen == 0)
+            return;
+
+        if (fixedLen < 0)
+        {
+            for (char16_t c : str)
+            {
+                writeUint16Big(c);
+
+                if (c == u'\0')
+                    break;
+            }
+            writeUint16Big(0);
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            auto it = str.begin();
+            for (atInt32 i=0 ; i<fixedLen ; ++i)
+            {
+                char16_t chr;
+                if (it == str.end())
+                    chr = 0;
+                else
+                    chr = *it++;
+                writeUint16Big(chr);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    inline void writeValBig(const std::u16string& val) {writeU16StringBig(val);}
+
+    /** @brief Writes a u16string to the buffer and advances the buffer.
+     *
+     *  @param str The string to write to the buffer
+     *  @param fixedLen If not -1, the number of characters to zero-fill string to
+     *
+     *  Endianness is big
+     */
+    inline void writeU32StringBig(const std::u32string& str, atInt32 fixedLen = -1)
+    {
+        if (fixedLen == 0)
+            return;
+
+        if (fixedLen < 0)
+        {
+            for (char32_t c : str)
+            {
+                writeUint32Big(c);
+
+                if (c == U'\0')
+                    break;
+            }
+            writeUint32Big(0);
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            auto it = str.begin();
+            for (atInt32 i=0 ; i<fixedLen ; ++i)
+            {
+                char32_t chr;
+                if (it == str.end())
+                    chr = 0;
+                else
+                    chr = *it++;
+                writeUint32Big(chr);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    inline void writeValBig(const std::u32string& val) {writeU32StringBig(val);}
+
     inline void fill(atUint8 val, atUint64 length)
     {
         if (length == 0)