diff --git a/litecord/blueprints/channels.py b/litecord/blueprints/channels.py
index fa3310a..2c9824b 100644
--- a/litecord/blueprints/channels.py
+++ b/litecord/blueprints/channels.py
@@ -615,46 +615,43 @@ async def _search_channel(channel_id):
 
     return jsonify(await search_result_from_list(rows))
 
-
 # NOTE that those functions stay here until some other
 # route or code wants it.
-async def _msg_set_flags(message_id: int, new_flags: int):
-    flags = await app.db.fetchval("""
+
+
+async def _msg_update_flags(message_id: int, flags: int):
+    await app.db.execute("""
+    UPDATE messages
+    SET flags = $1
+    WHERE id = $2
+    """, flags, message_id)
+
+
+async def _msg_get_flags(message_id: int):
+    return await app.db.fetchval("""
     SELECT flags
     FROM messages
     WHERE id = $1
     """, message_id)
 
-    flags |= new_flags
 
-    await app.db.execute("""
-    UPDATE messages
-    SET flags = $1
-    WHERE id = $1
-    """, flags.value, message_id)
+async def _msg_set_flags(message_id: int, new_flags: int):
+    flags = await _msg_get_flags(message_id)
+    flags |= new_flags
+    await _msg_update_flags(message_id, flags)
 
 
 async def _msg_unset_flags(message_id: int, unset_flags: int):
-    flags = await app.db.fetchval("""
-    SELECT flags
-    FROM messages
-    WHERE id = $1
-    """, message_id)
-
+    flags = await _msg_get_flags(message_id)
     flags &= ~unset_flags
-
-    await app.db.execute("""
-    UPDATE messages
-    SET flags = $1
-    WHERE id = $1
-    """, flags.value, message_id)
+    await _msg_update_flags(message_id, flags)
 
 
 @bp.route('/<int:channel_id>/messages/<int:message_id>/suppress-embeds',
           methods=['POST'])
 async def suppress_embeds(channel_id: int, message_id: int):
     """Toggle the embeds in a message.
-    
+
     Either the author of the message or a channel member with the
     Manage Messages permission can run this route.
     """
@@ -688,13 +685,27 @@ async def suppress_embeds(channel_id: int, message_id: int):
     url_embeds = sum(
         1 for embed in message['embeds'] if embed['type'] == 'url')
 
+    # NOTE for any future self. discord doing flags an optional thing instead
+    # of just giving 0 is a pretty bad idea because now i have to deal with
+    # that behavior here, and likely in every other message update thing
+
     if suppress and url_embeds:
         # delete all embeds then dispatch an update
         await _msg_set_flags(message_id, MessageFlags.suppress_embeds)
+
+        message['flags'] = \
+            message.get('flags', 0) | MessageFlags.suppress_embeds
+
         await msg_update_embeds(message, [], app.storage, app.dispatcher)
     elif not suppress and not url_embeds:
         # spawn process_url_embed to restore the embeds, if any
         await _msg_unset_flags(message_id, MessageFlags.suppress_embeds)
+
+        try:
+            message.pop('flags')
+        except KeyError:
+            pass
+
         app.sched.spawn(
             process_url_embed(
                 app.config, app.storage, app.dispatcher, app.session,
diff --git a/litecord/embed/messages.py b/litecord/embed/messages.py
index 1267538..4807c0f 100644
--- a/litecord/embed/messages.py
+++ b/litecord/embed/messages.py
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ async def msg_update_embeds(payload, new_embeds, storage, dispatcher):
     if 'guild_id' in payload:
         update_payload['guild_id'] = payload['guild_id']
 
+    if 'flags' in payload:
+        update_payload['flags'] = payload['flags']
+
     await dispatcher.dispatch(
         'channel', channel_id, 'MESSAGE_UPDATE', update_payload)
 
diff --git a/litecord/enums.py b/litecord/enums.py
index 3facc43..c9ecb9a 100644
--- a/litecord/enums.py
+++ b/litecord/enums.py
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ class MessageFlags(Flags):
 
     crossposted = 1 << 0
     is_crosspost = 1 << 1
-    suppresss_embeds = 1 << 2
+    suppress_embeds = 1 << 2
 
 
 class StatusType(EasyEnum):
diff --git a/litecord/storage.py b/litecord/storage.py
index 31d7da2..08ea0c1 100644
--- a/litecord/storage.py
+++ b/litecord/storage.py
@@ -942,10 +942,17 @@ class Storage:
 
         # if message is not from a dm, guild_id is None and so, _member_basic
         # will just return None
-        res['member'] = await self._member_basic_with_roles(guild_id, user_id)
 
-        if res['member'] is None:
-            res.pop('member')
+        # user id can be none, though, and we need to watch out for that
+        if user_id is not None:
+            res['member'] = await self._member_basic_with_roles(
+                guild_id, user_id)
+
+        if res.get('member') is None:
+            try:
+                res.pop('member')
+            except KeyError:
+                pass
 
         pin_id = await self.db.fetchval("""
         SELECT message_id
@@ -961,7 +968,7 @@ class Storage:
         if guild_id:
             res['guild_id'] = str(guild_id)
 
-        if res['flags'] is None:
+        if res['flags'] == 0:
             res.pop('flags')
 
         return res
diff --git a/manage/cmd/migration/scripts/3_add_message_flags.sql b/manage/cmd/migration/scripts/3_add_message_flags.sql
index 319ccde..28eea36 100644
--- a/manage/cmd/migration/scripts/3_add_message_flags.sql
+++ b/manage/cmd/migration/scripts/3_add_message_flags.sql
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 ALTER TABLE messages
-    ADD COLUMN flags bigint DEFAULT NULL;
+    ADD COLUMN flags bigint DEFAULT 0;