diff --git a/m2d/converters/event-to-message.js b/m2d/converters/event-to-message.js
index 2dcb2e8..ce5cfcd 100644
--- a/m2d/converters/event-to-message.js
+++ b/m2d/converters/event-to-message.js
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ const markdownEscapes = [
 	[/^>/g, '\\>'],
 	[/_/g, '\\_'],
 	[/^(\d+)\. /g, '$1\\. ']
+	/*
+		Strikethrough is deliberately not escaped. Usually when Matrix users type ~~ it's not because they wanted to send ~~,
+		it's because they wanted strikethrough and it didn't work because their client doesn't support it.
+		As bridge developers, we can choose between "messages should look as similar as possible" vs "it was most likely intended to be strikethrough".
+		I went with the latter. Even though the appearance doesn't match, I'd rather it displayed as originally intended for 80% of the readers than for 0%.
+	*/
 ]
 
 const turndownService = new TurndownService({
@@ -87,11 +93,15 @@ turndownService.addRule("blockquote", {
 
 turndownService.addRule("spoiler", {
 	filter: function (node, options) {
-		return node.hasAttribute("data-mx-spoiler")
+		return node.tagName === "SPAN" && node.hasAttribute("data-mx-spoiler")
 	},
 
 	replacement: function (content, node) {
-		return "||" + content + "||"
+		if (node.getAttribute("data-mx-spoiler")) {
+			// escape parentheses so it can't become a link
+			return `\\(${node.getAttribute("data-mx-spoiler")}\\) ||${content}||`
+		}
+		return `||${content}||`
 	}
 })
 
@@ -509,6 +519,8 @@ async function eventToMessage(event, guild, di) {
 			const fileReplyContentAlternative = attachmentEmojis.get(repliedToEvent.content.msgtype)
 			if (fileReplyContentAlternative) {
 				contentPreview = " " + fileReplyContentAlternative
+			} else if (repliedToEvent.unsigned?.redacted_because) {
+				contentPreview = " (in reply to a deleted message)"
 			} else {
 				const repliedToContent = repliedToEvent.content.formatted_body || repliedToEvent.content.body
 				const contentPreviewChunks = chunk(
@@ -628,6 +640,9 @@ async function eventToMessage(event, guild, di) {
 			// It's designed for commonmark, we need to replace the space-space-newline with just newline
 			content = content.replace(/  \n/g, "\n")
 
+			// If there's a blockquote at the start of the message body and this message is a reply, they should be visually separated
+			if (replyLine && content.startsWith("> ")) content = "\n" + content
+
 			// SPRITE SHEET EMOJIS FEATURE:
 			content = await uploadEndOfMessageSpriteSheet(content, attachments, pendingFiles)
 		} else {
diff --git a/m2d/converters/event-to-message.test.js b/m2d/converters/event-to-message.test.js
index f116f8c..fb21098 100644
--- a/m2d/converters/event-to-message.test.js
+++ b/m2d/converters/event-to-message.test.js
@@ -234,6 +234,37 @@ test("event2message: spoilers work", async t => {
 	)
 })
 
+test("event2message: spoiler reasons work", async t => {
+	t.deepEqual(
+		await eventToMessage({
+			content: {
+				msgtype: "m.text",
+				body: "wrong body",
+				format: "org.matrix.custom.html",
+				formatted_body: `<span data-mx-spoiler="cw crossword spoilers you'll never believe. don't tell anybody">zoe kills a 5 letter noun at the end</span>`
+			},
+			event_id: "$g07oYSZFWBkxohNEfywldwgcWj1hbhDzQ1sBAKvqOOU",
+			origin_server_ts: 1688301929913,
+			room_id: "!kLRqKKUQXcibIMtOpl:cadence.moe",
+			sender: "@cadence:cadence.moe",
+			type: "m.room.message",
+			unsigned: {
+				age: 405299
+			}
+		}),
+		{
+			ensureJoined: [],
+			messagesToDelete: [],
+			messagesToEdit: [],
+			messagesToSend: [{
+				username: "cadence [they]",
+				content: "\\(cw crossword spoilers you'll never believe. don't tell anybody\\) ||zoe kills a 5 letter noun at the end||",
+				avatar_url: undefined
+			}]
+		}
+	)
+})
+
 test("event2message: markdown syntax is escaped", async t => {
 	t.deepEqual(
 		await eventToMessage({
@@ -1778,6 +1809,115 @@ test("event2message: with layered rich replies, the preview should only be the r
 	)
 })
 
+test("event2message: if event is a reply and starts with a quote, they should be separated by a blank line, so that they don't visually merge together", async t => {
+	t.deepEqual(
+		await eventToMessage({
+			type: "m.room.message",
+			sender: "@aflower:syndicated.gay",
+			content: {
+				body: "> <@aflower:syndicated.gay> i have a feeling that clients are *meant to* strip these reply fallbacks too, just that none of them, in reality, do\n\n>To strip the fallback on the <code>body</code>, the client should iterate over each line of the string, removing any lines that start with the fallback prefix (&quot;&gt; &ldquo;, including the space, without quotes) and stopping when a line is encountered without the prefix. This prefix is known as the &ldquo;fallback prefix sequence&rdquo;.",
+				format: "org.matrix.custom.html",
+				formatted_body: "<mx-reply><blockquote><a href=\"https://matrix.to/#/!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe/$tTYQcke93fwocsc1K6itwUq85EG0RZ0ksCuIglKioks\">In reply to</a> <a href=\"https://matrix.to/#/@aflower:syndicated.gay\">@aflower:syndicated.gay</a><br/>i have a feeling that clients are <em>meant to</em> strip these reply fallbacks too, just that none of them, in reality, do</blockquote></mx-reply><blockquote>\n<p>To strip the fallback on the <code>body</code>, the client should iterate over each line of the string, removing any lines that start with the fallback prefix (&quot;&gt; “, including the space, without quotes) and stopping when a line is encountered without the prefix. This prefix is known as the “fallback prefix sequence”.</p>\n</blockquote>",
+				"im.nheko.relations.v1.relations": [
+					{
+						event_id: "$tTYQcke93fwocsc1K6itwUq85EG0RZ0ksCuIglKioks",
+						rel_type: "im.nheko.relations.v1.in_reply_to"
+					}
+				],
+				"m.relates_to": {
+					"m.in_reply_to": {
+						event_id: "$tTYQcke93fwocsc1K6itwUq85EG0RZ0ksCuIglKioks"
+					}
+				},
+				msgtype: "m.text"
+			},
+			room_id: "!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe",
+			event_id: "$nCvtZeBFedYuEavt4OftloCHc0kaFW2ktHCfIOklhjU",
+		}, data.guild.general, {
+			api: {
+				getEvent: mockGetEvent(t, "!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe", "$tTYQcke93fwocsc1K6itwUq85EG0RZ0ksCuIglKioks", {
+					sender: "@aflower:syndicated.gay",
+					type: "m.room.message",
+					content: {
+						body: "i have a feeling that clients are *meant to* strip these reply fallbacks too, just that none of them, in reality, do",
+						format: "org.matrix.custom.html",
+						formatted_body: "i have a feeling that clients are <em>meant to</em> strip these reply fallbacks too, just that none of them, in reality, do",
+						msgtype: "m.text"
+					}
+				})
+			}
+		}),
+		{
+			ensureJoined: [],
+			messagesToDelete: [],
+			messagesToEdit: [],
+			messagesToSend: [{
+				username: "Rose",
+				content: "> <:L1:1144820033948762203><:L2:1144820084079087647>Ⓜ️**Rose**:"
+					+ "\n> i have a feeling that clients are meant to strip..."
+					+ "\n"
+					+ "\n> To strip the fallback on the `body`, the client should iterate over each line of the string, removing any lines that start with the fallback prefix (\"> “, including the space, without quotes) and stopping when a line is encountered without the prefix. This prefix is known as the “fallback prefix sequence”.",
+				avatar_url: "https://matrix.cadence.moe/_matrix/media/r0/download/syndicated.gay/ZkBUPXCiXTjdJvONpLJmcbKP"
+			}]
+		}
+	)
+})
+
+test("event2message: rich reply to a deleted event", async t => {
+	t.deepEqual(
+		await eventToMessage({
+			type: "m.room.message",
+			sender: "@ampflower:matrix.org",
+			content: {
+				msgtype: "m.text",
+				body: "> <@ampflower:matrix.org> \n\nHuh it did the same thing here too",
+				format: "org.matrix.custom.html",
+				formatted_body: "<mx-reply><blockquote><a href=\"https://matrix.to/#/!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe/$f-noT-d-Eo_Xgpc05Ww89ErUXku4NwKWYGHLzWKo1kU?via=cadence.moe\">In reply to</a> <a href=\"https://matrix.to/#/@ampflower:matrix.org\">@ampflower:matrix.org</a><br></blockquote></mx-reply>Huh it did the same thing here too",
+				"m.relates_to": {
+					"m.in_reply_to": {
+						event_id: "$f-noT-d-Eo_Xgpc05Ww89ErUXku4NwKWYGHLzWKo1kU"
+					}
+				}
+			},
+			event_id: "$v_Gtr-bzv9IVlSLBO5DstzwmiDd-GSFaNfHX66IupV8",
+			room_id: "!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe"
+		 }, data.guild.general, {
+			api: {
+				getEvent: mockGetEvent(t, "!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe", "$f-noT-d-Eo_Xgpc05Ww89ErUXku4NwKWYGHLzWKo1kU", {
+					type: "m.room.message",
+					sender: "@ampflower:matrix.org",
+					content: {},
+					origin_server_ts: 1707798292953,
+					unsigned: {
+						redacted_because: {
+							type: "m.room.redaction",
+							room_id: "!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe",
+							sender: "@_ooye_bot:cadence.moe",
+							content: {},
+							redacts: "$uyOzmYhqcgF5i0bZb4MrAIEKEvzDOLgXdlRr1zfvWo0",
+							origin_server_ts: 1707798294565,
+							event_id: "$enCV-40Sut8llwALAV0T3qjwK7MvO9jgY9C4DHbxKXA",
+							user_id: "@_ooye_bot:cadence.moe",
+						},
+					},
+					user_id: "@ampflower:matrix.org"
+				})
+			}
+		}),
+		{
+			ensureJoined: [],
+			messagesToDelete: [],
+			messagesToEdit: [],
+			messagesToSend: [{
+				username: "Ampflower 🌺",
+				content: "> <:L1:1144820033948762203><:L2:1144820084079087647>Ⓜ️**Ampflower 🌺** (in reply to a deleted message)"
+					+ "\nHuh it did the same thing here too",
+				avatar_url: "https://matrix.cadence.moe/_matrix/media/r0/download/cadence.moe/PRfhXYBTOalvgQYtmCLeUXko"
+			}]
+		}
+	)
+})
+
 test("event2message: raw mentioning discord users in plaintext body works", async t => {
 	t.deepEqual(
 		await eventToMessage({
diff --git a/test/ooye-test-data.sql b/test/ooye-test-data.sql
index f455d9e..023d5bb 100644
--- a/test/ooye-test-data.sql
+++ b/test/ooye-test-data.sql
@@ -115,7 +115,9 @@ INSERT INTO member_cache (room_id, mxid, displayname, avatar_url) VALUES
 ('!BnKuBPCvyfOkhcUjEu:cadence.moe', '@cadence:cadence.moe', 'cadence [they]', 'mxc://cadence.moe/azCAhThKTojXSZJRoWwZmhvU'),
 ('!maggESguZBqGBZtSnr:cadence.moe', '@cadence:cadence.moe', 'cadence [they]', 'mxc://cadence.moe/azCAhThKTojXSZJRoWwZmhvU'),
 ('!CzvdIdUQXgUjDVKxeU:cadence.moe', '@cadence:cadence.moe', 'cadence [they]', 'mxc://cadence.moe/azCAhThKTojXSZJRoWwZmhvU'),
-('!cBxtVRxDlZvSVhJXVK:cadence.moe', '@Milan:tchncs.de', 'Milan', NULL);
+('!cBxtVRxDlZvSVhJXVK:cadence.moe', '@Milan:tchncs.de', 'Milan', NULL),
+('!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe', '@ampflower:matrix.org', 'Ampflower 🌺', 'mxc://cadence.moe/PRfhXYBTOalvgQYtmCLeUXko'),
+('!TqlyQmifxGUggEmdBN:cadence.moe', '@aflower:syndicated.gay', 'Rose', 'mxc://syndicated.gay/ZkBUPXCiXTjdJvONpLJmcbKP');
 
 INSERT INTO lottie (sticker_id, mxc_url) VALUES
 ('860171525772279849', 'mxc://cadence.moe/ZtvvVbwMIdUZeovWVyGVFCeR');