diff --git a/src/eventbus.py b/src/eventbus.py
index 3bf3962..58972b2 100644
--- a/src/eventbus.py
+++ b/src/eventbus.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class Message:
 evbus_messages = prometheus_client.Counter("abr_evbus_messages", "Messages processed by event bus", ["source_type"])
 evbus_messages_dropped = prometheus_client.Counter("abr_evbus_messages_dropped", "Messages received by event bus but dropped by rate limits", ["source_type"])
 
-# maps each bridge destination type (discord/APIONET/etc) to the listeners for it
+# maps each bridge destination type (discord/APIONET/etc) to the listeners for it.
 listeners = collections.defaultdict(set)
 
 # maintains a list of all the unidirectional links between channels - key is source, values are targets
@@ -102,4 +102,4 @@ async def initial_load(db):
     rows = await db.execute_fetchall("SELECT * FROM links")
     for row in rows:
         links[(row["from_type"], row["from_id"])].add((row["to_type"], row["to_id"]))
-    logging.info("Loaded %d links", len(rows))
\ No newline at end of file
+    logging.info("Loaded %d links", len(rows))
diff --git a/src/irc_link.py b/src/irc_link.py
index 6039976..b946182 100644
--- a/src/irc_link.py
+++ b/src/irc_link.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def render_formatting(message):
             out += seg.replace("\n", " ")
         else:
             kind = seg["type"]
-            #  TODO: check if user exists on both ends, and possibly drop if so
+            # TODO: check if user exists on both ends, and possibly drop if so
             if kind == "user_mention":
                 out += f"@{random_color(seg['id'])}{seg['name']}{color_code('')}"
             elif kind == "channel_mention": # these appear to be clickable across servers/guilds
@@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ async def initialize():
         if channel_name in util.config["irc"]["channels"]:
             if channel_name not in joined: conn.join(channel_name)
             # if its a reply
-            try:
-                if msg.reference:
-                    conn.privmessage (channel_name, f"Replying to @{random_color(msg.reference.cached_message.author.id)}{msg.reference.cached_message.author.name}{color_code('')}:")
+            dmsg = discord.fetch_message(msg.id)
+            if dmsg.reference.message_id:
+                conn.privmessage(channel_name, f"Replying to @{random_color(dmsg.reference.cached_message.author.id)}{dmsg.reference.cached_message.author.name}{color_code('')}:")
             # ping fix - zero width space embedded in messages
             line = f"<{random_color(msg.author.id)}{msg.author.name[0]}\u200B{msg.author.name[1:]}{color_code('')}> " + render_formatting(msg.message)[:400]
             conn.privmsg(channel_name, line)