diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+DONT USE 0.2.0.0
+The `rlp0` definition is messed up and the `Maybe` instance has been deprecated and removed.
diff --git a/relapse.cabal b/relapse.cabal
--- a/relapse.cabal
+++ b/relapse.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                relapse
-version:             0.2.0.0
+version:             1.0.0.0
 synopsis:            Sensible RLP encoding
 description:         An implementation of RLP as specified in the Ethereum Wiki, using Attoparsec
 homepage:            https://github.com/iostat/relapse#readme
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
   hs-source-dirs:      src
   exposed-modules:     Data.RLP
                      , Data.RLP.Types
-  build-depends:       base >= 4.7 && < 5
+  build-depends:       base >= 4.8 && < 5
                      , attoparsec >= 0.13.1.0  && < 0.14
                      , bytestring
   default-language:    Haskell2010
diff --git a/src/Data/RLP/Types.hs b/src/Data/RLP/Types.hs
--- a/src/Data/RLP/Types.hs
+++ b/src/Data/RLP/Types.hs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 data RLPObject = String S.ByteString | Array [RLPObject] deriving (Eq, Ord, Read, Show)
 
 rlp0 :: RLPObject
-rlp0 = String (S.singleton 0x80)
+rlp0 = String S.empty
 
 class RLPEncodable a where
     rlpEncode :: a -> RLPObject
@@ -283,10 +283,6 @@
       <*> rlpDecode h
       <*> rlpDecode i
     x -> rlpDecodeFail "Nontuple" x
-
-instance RLPEncodable a => RLPEncodable (Maybe a) where
-    rlpEncode = maybe rlp0 rlpEncode
-    rlpDecode x = if x == rlp0 then return Nothing else Just <$> rlpDecode x
 
 instance RLPEncodable RLPObject where -- ayy lmao
     rlpEncode = id