diff --git a/src/js/Timeline.js b/src/js/Timeline.js
index f6d7b3e..d78092e 100644
--- a/src/js/Timeline.js
+++ b/src/js/Timeline.js
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ class Event extends ElemJS {
 		this.update(data)
 	}
 
+	// predicates
+
+	canGroup() {
+		return this.data.type === "m.room.message"
+	}
+
+	// operations
+
 	setGroup(group) {
 		this.group = group
 	}
@@ -59,7 +67,17 @@ class Event extends ElemJS {
 
 	render() {
 		this.element.classList[this.data.pending ? "add" : "remove"]("c-message--pending")
-		this.text(this.data.content.body)
+		if (this.data.type === "m.room.message") {
+			this.text(this.data.content.body)
+		} else if (this.data.type === "m.room.member") {
+			if (this.data.content.membership === "join") {
+				this.child(ejs("i").text("joined the room"))
+			} else {
+				this.child(ejs("i").text("left the room"))
+			}
+		} else {
+			this.child(ejs("i").text(`Unsupported event type ${this.data.type}`))
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -69,13 +87,19 @@ class Sender {
 		this.sender.subscribe("changeSelf", this.update.bind(this))
 		this.name = new ElemJS("div").class("c-message-group__name")
 		this.avatar = new ElemJS("div").class("c-message-group__avatar")
+		this.displayingGoodData = false
 		this.update()
 	}
 
 	update() {
 		if (this.sender.exists()) {
 			// name
-			this.name.text(this.sender.value().content.displayname)
+			if (this.sender.value().content.displayname) {
+				this.name.text(this.sender.value().content.displayname)
+				this.displayingGoodData = true
+			} else if (!this.displayingGoodData) {
+				this.name.text(this.sender.value().state_key)
+			}
 
 			// avatar
 			this.avatar.clearChildren()
@@ -181,7 +205,7 @@ class ReactiveTimeline extends ElemJS {
 }
 
 class Timeline extends Subscribable {
-	constructor(id) {
+	constructor(room) {
 		super()
 		Object.assign(this.events, {
 			beforeChange: [],
@@ -191,25 +215,49 @@ class Timeline extends Subscribable {
 			beforeChange: [],
 			afterChange: []
 		})
-		this.id = id
+		this.room = room
+		this.id = this.room.id
 		this.list = []
 		this.map = new Map()
-		this.reactiveTimeline = new ReactiveTimeline(id, [])
+		this.reactiveTimeline = new ReactiveTimeline(this.id, [])
 		this.latest = 0
 		this.pending = new Set()
 	}
 
+	updateStateEvents(events) {
+		for (const eventData of events) {
+			let id = eventData.event_id
+			if (eventData.type === "m.room.member") {
+				// update members
+				if (eventData.membership !== "leave") {
+					this.room.members.get(eventData.state_key).set(eventData)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	updateEvents(events) {
 		this.broadcast("beforeChange")
+		// handle state events
+		this.updateStateEvents(events)
 		for (const eventData of events) {
+			// set variables
 			this.latest = Math.max(this.latest, eventData.origin_server_ts)
 			let id = eventData.event_id
+			// handle local echoes
 			if (eventData.sender === lsm.get("mx_user_id") && eventData.content && this.pending.has(eventData.content["chat.carbon.message.pending_id"])) {
 				id = eventData.content["chat.carbon.message.pending_id"]
 			}
+			// handle timeline events
 			if (this.map.has(id)) {
+				// update existing event
 				this.map.get(id).update(eventData)
 			} else {
+				// skip displaying events that we don't know how to
+				if (eventData.type === "m.reaction") {
+					continue
+				}
+				// add new event
 				const event = new Event(eventData)
 				this.map.set(id, event)
 				this.reactiveTimeline.addEvent(event)
@@ -238,6 +286,7 @@ class Timeline extends Subscribable {
 			"chat.carbon.message.pending_id": id
 		}
 		const fakeEvent = {
+			type: "m.room.message",
 			origin_server_ts: Date.now(),
 			event_id: id,
 			sender: lsm.get("mx_user_id"),
diff --git a/src/js/room-picker.js b/src/js/room-picker.js
index 87e9320..8e696de 100644
--- a/src/js/room-picker.js
+++ b/src/js/room-picker.js
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ class Room extends ElemJS {
 
 		this.id = id
 		this.data = data
-		this.timeline = new Timeline(this.id)
+		this.timeline = new Timeline(this)
 		this.group = null
 		this.members = new SubscribeMapList(SubscribeValue)
 
diff --git a/src/js/sync/sync.js b/src/js/sync/sync.js
index b374d62..bbd6b11 100644
--- a/src/js/sync/sync.js
+++ b/src/js/sync/sync.js
@@ -47,19 +47,15 @@ function manageSync(root) {
 		}
 
 		// set up rooms
-		Object.entries(root.rooms.join).forEach(([id, room]) => {
+		Object.entries(root.rooms.join).forEach(([id, data]) => {
 			if (!store.rooms.has(id)) {
-				store.rooms.askAdd(id, room)
+				store.rooms.askAdd(id, data)
 			}
-			const storeRoom = store.rooms.get(id).value()
-			room.state.events.forEach(event => {
-				if (event.type === "m.room.member") {
-					storeRoom.members.get(event.state_key).set(event)
-				}
-			})
-			const timeline = storeRoom.timeline
-			if (room.timeline.events.length) newEvents = true
-			timeline.updateEvents(room.timeline.events)
+			const room = store.rooms.get(id).value()
+			const timeline = room.timeline
+			if (data.timeline.events.length) newEvents = true
+			timeline.updateStateEvents(data.state.events)
+			timeline.updateEvents(data.timeline.events)
 		})
 
 		// set up groups
@@ -90,6 +86,7 @@ function manageSync(root) {
 								store.rooms.get(groupRoom.room_id).value().setGroup(id)
 							}
 						})
+						store.newEvents.broadcast("changeSelf") // trigger a room list update
 					})
 				}
 			})