diff --git a/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py b/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py
index 35122f68fc..e2c39d5700 100644
--- a/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py
+++ b/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py
@@ -929,7 +929,10 @@ def init_spawn_value(value, validator=None):
         value = validator(value[0](*make_iter(args)))
     else:
         value = validator(value)
-    return protfunc_parser(value)
+    result = protfunc_parser(value)
+    if result != value:
+        return validator(result)
+    return result
 
 
 def value_to_obj_or_any(value):
diff --git a/evennia/utils/tests/test_text2html.py b/evennia/utils/tests/test_text2html.py
index 9e331f630d..0bb151f22b 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/tests/test_text2html.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/tests/test_text2html.py
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class TestText2Html(TestCase):
             "tab": "\t",
             "space": "",
         }
-        self.assertEqual("  ", parser.sub_text(mocked_match))
+        self.assertEqual("  ", parser.sub_text(mocked_match))
 
         mocked_match.groupdict.return_value = {
             "htmlchars": "",
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ class TestText2Html(TestCase):
             "space": " ",
             "spacestart": " ",
         }
-        self.assertEqual("    ",
+        self.assertEqual("    ",
                          parser.sub_text(mocked_match))
 
         mocked_match.groupdict.return_value = {
@@ -182,16 +182,16 @@ class TestText2Html(TestCase):
         parser = text2html.HTML_PARSER
         parser.tabstop = 4
         # single tab
-        self.assertEqual(parser.parse("foo|-foo"),
-                         "foo    foo")
+        self.assertEqual(parser.parse("foo|>foo"),
+                         "foo    foo")
 
         # space and tab
-        self.assertEqual(parser.parse("foo |-foo"),
+        self.assertEqual(parser.parse("foo |>foo"),
                          "foo     foo")
 
         # space, tab, space
-        self.assertEqual(parser.parse("foo |- foo"),
-                         "foo      foo")
+        self.assertEqual(parser.parse("foo |> foo"),
+                         "foo      foo")
 
     def test_parse_space_to_html(self):
         """test space parsing - a single space should be kept, two or more
diff --git a/evennia/utils/text2html.py b/evennia/utils/text2html.py
index 34fd11c9f1..7fb19a8ab8 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/text2html.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/text2html.py
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ class TextToHTMLparser(object):
         elif cdict["lineend"]:
             return "<br>"
         elif cdict["tab"]:
-            text = cdict["tab"].replace("\t", "<span class=\"tabspace\">&#0009;</span>")
+            text = cdict["tab"].replace("\t", " " + "&nbsp;" * (self.tabstop - 1))
             return text
         elif cdict["space"] or cdict["spacestart"]:
             text = cdict["space"]