diff --git a/src/Change.lua b/src/Change.lua
index 17c83b7..262dc33 100644
--- a/src/Change.lua
+++ b/src/Change.lua
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ local getChangeSymbol = memoize(function(name: string): Types.Symbol<MaybeState<
                     end
                 end)
 
-                state.updated = true
+                state.__updated = true
                 bind.event(state :: State<any>, instance, event)
             else 
                 error("Attempt to connect non-function to changed event", 2)
diff --git a/src/derive.lua b/src/derive.lua
index 1a0269a..c48f39c 100644
--- a/src/derive.lua
+++ b/src/derive.lua
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ local function derive<T>(deriveValue: (Unwrapper) -> T, cleanup: (T) -> ()?): St
     end
 
     local value: T = captureAndLink(node, deriveValue)
-    node.cache = value
+    rawset(node, "__cache", value)
 
     return node :: State<T>
 end
diff --git a/src/graph.lua b/src/graph.lua
index 3238bfc..d1c5531 100644
--- a/src/graph.lua
+++ b/src/graph.lua
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ local flags = require(script.Parent.flags)
 
 export type State<T> = typeof(setmetatable(
     {} :: { 
-        cache: T,
-        updated: boolean,
-        derive: (any) -> T,
-        effects:  { [(unknown) -> ()]: unknown } | false, -- weak values
-        children: { State<T> } | false -- weak values
+        __cache: T,
+        __updated: boolean,
+        __derive: (any) -> T,
+        __effects:  { [(unknown) -> ()]: unknown } | false, -- weak values
+        __children: { State<T> } | false -- weak values
     }, {} :: {
         __concat: (any, any) -> any,
         __add: (any, any) -> any,
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export type MaybeState<T> = State<T> | T
 export type Unwrapper = <T>(T) -> T
 
 local WEAK_VALUES_RESIZABLE = { __mode = "vs" }
-local EVALUATION_ERR = "Error while evaluating state:\n\n"
+local EVALUATION_ERR = "error while evaluating state:\n\n"
 
 local State = {} 
 
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ local checkForYield do
 
         if not ok then
             if err == "attempt to yield across metamethod/C-call boundary" or err == "thread is not yieldable" then
-                error(EVALUATION_ERR .. "Cannot yield when deriving state in watcher", 3)
+                error(EVALUATION_ERR .. "cannot yield when deriving state in watcher", 3)
             else
                 error(EVALUATION_ERR..err, 3)
             end
@@ -65,16 +65,16 @@ local checkForYield do
 end
 
 local function setEffect<T>(state: State<unknown>, fn: (T) -> (), key: T)
-    if not state.effects then
-        state.effects = setmetatable({ [fn] = key }, WEAK_VALUES_RESIZABLE) :: any
+    if not state.__effects then
+        state.__effects = setmetatable({ [fn] = key }, WEAK_VALUES_RESIZABLE) :: any
     else
-        state.effects[fn :: () -> ()] = key
+        state.__effects[fn :: () -> ()] = key
     end
 end
 
 local function runEffects(state: State<unknown>)
-    if state.effects then
-        for effect, key in next, state.effects do
+    if state.__effects then
+        for effect, key in next, state.__effects do
             if flags.strict then effect(key) end
             effect(key)
         end 
@@ -84,17 +84,17 @@ end
 -- retrieves a state's cached value
 -- recalculates value if an ancestor was updated
 local function get<T>(state: State<T>): T
-    if state.updated then
-        state.updated = false
+    if state.__updated then
+        state.__updated = false
 
-        if flags.strict then checkForYield(state.derive) end
+        if flags.strict then checkForYield(state.__derive) end
 
-        local ok, result: T|string? = pcall(state.derive, unwrap); if ok then
-            rawset(state :: any, "cache", result :: T)
-        else error(EVALUATION_ERR .. result :: string, 2) end 
+        local ok, result: T|string? = pcall(state.__derive, unwrap); if ok then
+            rawset(state :: any, "__cache", result :: T)
+        else error(EVALUATION_ERR .. result :: string, 0) end 
     end
 
-    return state.cache
+    return rawget(state :: any, "__cache")
 end
 
 -- utility function for retrieving a value from state and allowing passthrough of non-state
@@ -107,20 +107,20 @@ unwrap = function<T>(value: MaybeState<T>): T
 end
 
 local function addChild(parent: State<unknown>, child: State<unknown>)
-    if parent.children then
-        table.insert(parent.children, child)    
+    if parent.__children then
+        table.insert(parent.__children, child)    
     else
-        parent.children = setmetatable({ child }, WEAK_VALUES_RESIZABLE) :: any
+        parent.__children = setmetatable({ child }, WEAK_VALUES_RESIZABLE) :: any
     end
 end
 
 -- marks all state descendants for recalculation and runs effects
 local function update(state: State<unknown>)
     runEffects(state)
-    if state.children then
-        for _, child in state.children do
-            if not child.updated then
-                child.updated = true
+    if state.__children then
+        for _, child in state.__children do
+            if not child.__updated then
+                child.__updated = true
                 update(child)
             end
         end
@@ -129,13 +129,13 @@ end
 
 -- sets a state's cached value and updates all descendants
 local function set<T>(state: State<T>, value: T)
-    state.cache = value
+    state.__cache = value
     update(state)
 end
 
 -- links two states as parent-child
 local function link(parent: State<unknown>, child: State<unknown>, derive: () -> unknown)
-    child.derive = derive
+    child.__derive = derive
     addChild(parent, child)
 end
 
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ local function capture<T>(callback: (Unwrapper) -> T): ({ State<unknown> }, T)
         end
     end)
 
-    if not ok then error("Error while detecting watcher: " .. result :: string, 2) end
+    if not ok then error("error while detecting watcher: " .. result :: string, 0) end
 
     return states, result :: T
 end
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ end
 local function captureAndLink<T>(child: State<T>, callback: (Unwrapper) -> T): T
     local states, value = capture(callback)
 
-    child.derive = callback
+    child.__derive = callback
     for _, parent: State<unknown> in next, states do
         addChild(parent, child)
     end
@@ -191,30 +191,61 @@ local function overload(op: (unknown, unknown) -> unknown): (any, any) -> any
             link(b :: State<unknown>, derived, function() return op(a, get(b :: State<unknown>)) end)
         end
 
-        derived.updated = true
+        derived.__updated = true
         return derived
     end
 end
 
-function State.__index(_, index)
-    if index == "cache" then return nil end -- todo: better solution
-    error("attempt to index state", 2)
+local function __unm(self: State<unknown>)
+    local derived = create(nil :: any)
+
+    link(self, derived, function()
+        return -get(self) :: number
+    end)
+
+    derived.__updated = true
+    return derived
 end
 
+local function __index(self: State<unknown>, index: unknown)
+    local derived = create(nil :: any)
+
+    link(self, derived, function()
+        return (get(self) :: {})[index]
+    end)
+
+    derived.__updated = true
+    return derived
+end
+
+State.__index = __index
 State.__concat = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return tostring(a) .. tostring(b) end)
 State.__add = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a + b end)
 State.__sub = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a - b end)
 State.__mul = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a * b end)
 State.__div = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a / b end)
---State.__eq = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a == b end)
+State.__pow = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a ^ b end)
+State.__mod = overload(function(a: any, b: any) return a % b end)
+State.__unm = __unm
+
+-- todo: what to do
+do
+    local function err()
+        error("cannot perform equality comparison with state", 2)
+    end
+    State.__eq = err
+    State.__lt = err
+    State.__le = err
+end
+
 
 function create<T>(value: T): State<T>
     return setmetatable({
-        cache = value,
-        updated = false,
-        derive  = function() return nil end :: any,
-        effects = false :: false,
-        children = false :: false
+        __cache = value,
+        __updated = false,
+        __derive  = function() return nil end :: any,
+        __effects = false :: false,
+        __children = false :: false
     }, State)
 end
 
diff --git a/src/map.lua b/src/map.lua
index b805a23..11563bf 100644
--- a/src/map.lua
+++ b/src/map.lua
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ local function map<K, VI, VO>(input: unknown, transform: (K, VI) -> VO, cleanup:
         end
 
         link(input :: State<Map<K, VI>>, output, derive)
-        output.updated = true
+        output.__updated = true
 
         return output
     elseif type(input) == "table" then
diff --git a/src/wrap.lua b/src/wrap.lua
index 5eb41dc..ef00069 100644
--- a/src/wrap.lua
+++ b/src/wrap.lua
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ local function wrap<T>(value: MaybeState<T>?): (State<T>, Setter<T>)
 
         local v = if wrapped(vi) then get(vi :: State<T>) else vi :: T
 
-        if v ~= state.cache or force then
+        if v ~= state.__cache or force then
             set(state, v)
         elseif flags.strict and type(v) == "table" then
             throw("attempt to set same table object")   
diff --git a/test/tests.luau b/test/tests.luau
index d199aa5..04865e5 100644
--- a/test/tests.luau
+++ b/test/tests.luau
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ TEST("graph", function()
         set(a, get(a) + 1) -- mark `b` for recomputation again
         captureAndLink(c, function(from) return from(b) end)
         -- check that only `b` was linked
-        CHECK(not rawfind(assert(a.children), c))
-        CHECK(rawfind(assert(b.children), c))
+        CHECK(not rawfind(assert(a.__children), c))
+        CHECK(rawfind(assert(b.__children), c))
     end 
 
     do CASE "Nodes garbage collection"
@@ -291,6 +291,30 @@ TEST("derive()", function()
             set(2)
             CHECK(unwrap(text) == "22")
         end
+
+        do
+            local a, seta = wrap { b = { c = 1 } }
+            local b = a.b
+            local c = b.c
+
+            CHECK(unwrap(c) == 1)
+
+            seta { b = { c = 2 } }
+
+            CHECK(unwrap(c) == 2)
+        end
+
+        do
+            local state, set = wrap { profiles = { decimal = { level = 1 }}}
+            local stringified = "Level: " .. state.profiles.decimal.level
+
+            set(function(state)
+                state.profiles.decimal.level += 1
+                return state
+            end, true)
+
+            CHECK(unwrap(stringified) == "Level: 2")
+        end
     end
 
     do CASE "Derive from updated"
@@ -704,7 +728,7 @@ TEST("create()", function()
                 }
 
                 wref.instance = instance
-                wref.binding = next((state :: any).effects)
+                wref.binding = next((state :: any).__effects)
             end
             
             CHECK(wref.binding)