diff --git a/cmd/gochan/editpost.go b/cmd/gochan/editpost.go
index 578d8b8a..a02b4945 100644
--- a/cmd/gochan/editpost.go
+++ b/cmd/gochan/editpost.go
@@ -214,10 +214,15 @@ func editPost(checkedPosts []int, editBtn string, doEdit string, writer http.Res
 				})
 				return
 			}
+			formatted, err := posting.FormatMessage(request.FormValue("editmsg"), board.Dir)
+			if err != nil {
+				errEv.Err(err).Caller().Send()
+				server.ServeError(writer, err.Error(), wantsJSON, nil)
+			}
 			if err = post.UpdateContents(
 				request.FormValue("editemail"),
 				request.FormValue("editsubject"),
-				posting.FormatMessage(request.FormValue("editmsg"), board.Dir),
+				formatted,
 				request.FormValue("editmsg"),
 			); err != nil {
 				errEv.Err(err).Caller().
diff --git a/pkg/gcsql/posts.go b/pkg/gcsql/posts.go
index 7928e4e9..e99c5d5c 100644
--- a/pkg/gcsql/posts.go
+++ b/pkg/gcsql/posts.go
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func GetPostFromID(id int, onlyNotDeleted bool) (*Post, error) {
 func GetPostIP(postID int) (string, error) {
 	sql := "SELECT IP_NTOA FROM DBPREFIXposts WHERE id = ?"
 	var ip string
-	err := QueryRowSQL(sql, []interface{}{postID}, []interface{}{&ip})
+	err := QueryRowSQL(sql, []any{postID}, []any{&ip})
 	return ip, err
 }
 
@@ -89,18 +89,25 @@ func GetPostsFromIP(ip string, limit int, onlyNotDeleted bool) ([]Post, error) {
 	return posts, nil
 }
 
-func GetTopPostInThread(postID int) (int, error) {
-	const query = `SELECT id FROM DBPREFIXposts WHERE thread_id = (
-		SELECT thread_id FROM DBPREFIXposts WHERE id = ?
-	) AND is_top_post = TRUE ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 1`
-	var id int
-	err := QueryRowSQL(query, []any{postID}, []any{&id})
-	return id, err
+// GetTopPostAndBoardDirFromPostID returns the ID of the top post and the board dir in postID's thread
+func GetTopPostAndBoardDirFromPostID(postID int) (int, string, error) {
+	const query = `SELECT op.id AS op_id, b.dir FROM DBPREFIXposts p
+		INNER JOIN DBPREFIXthreads t ON p.thread_id = t.id
+		INNER JOIN DBPREFIXboards b ON t.board_id = b.id
+		INNER JOIN DBPREFIXposts op ON op.thread_id = t.id AND op.is_top_post = TRUE
+		WHERE p.id = ?`
+	var opID int
+	var dir string
+	err := QueryRowTimeoutSQL(nil, query, []any{postID}, []any{&opID, &dir})
+	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+		err = nil
+	}
+	return opID, dir, err
 }
 
 // GetTopPostIDsInThreadIDs takes a variable number of threads and returns a map[threadID]topPostID
-func GetTopPostIDsInThreadIDs(threads ...interface{}) (map[interface{}]int, error) {
-	ids := make(map[interface{}]int)
+func GetTopPostIDsInThreadIDs(threads ...any) (map[any]int, error) {
+	ids := make(map[any]int)
 	if threads == nil {
 		return ids, nil
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/gcsql/util.go b/pkg/gcsql/util.go
index 10ff720e..3a13d8e7 100644
--- a/pkg/gcsql/util.go
+++ b/pkg/gcsql/util.go
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ func doesGochanPrefixTableExist() (bool, error) {
 } */
 
 // createArrayPlaceholder creates a string of ?s based on the size of arr
-func createArrayPlaceholder(arr []any) string {
+func createArrayPlaceholder[T any](arr []T) string {
 	params := make([]string, len(arr))
 	for p := range params {
 		params[p] = "?"
diff --git a/pkg/manage/actionsAdminPerm.go b/pkg/manage/actionsAdminPerm.go
index b0f4721e..19e1b112 100644
--- a/pkg/manage/actionsAdminPerm.go
+++ b/pkg/manage/actionsAdminPerm.go
@@ -642,8 +642,12 @@ func reparseHTMLCallback(_ http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request, _ *gcsql.Staff,
 			errEv.Err(err).Caller().Msg("Unable to scan SQL row")
 			return "", err
 		}
-		formatted := posting.FormatMessage(messageRaw, boardDir)
-		gcsql.ExecSQL(updateQuery, formatted, postID)
+		if formatted, err := posting.FormatMessage(messageRaw, boardDir); err != nil {
+			errEv.Err(err).Caller().Msg("Unable to format message")
+			return "", err
+		} else {
+			gcsql.ExecSQL(updateQuery, formatted, postID)
+		}
 	}
 	outputStr += "Done reparsing HTML<hr />"
 
diff --git a/pkg/posting/formatting.go b/pkg/posting/formatting.go
index d0d7e016..6b374cf8 100644
--- a/pkg/posting/formatting.go
+++ b/pkg/posting/formatting.go
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func wrapLinksInURL(urlStr string) string {
 	return "[url]" + urlStr + "[/url]"
 }
 
-func FormatMessage(message string, boardDir string) template.HTML {
+func FormatMessage(message string, boardDir string) (template.HTML, error) {
 	if config.GetBoardConfig(boardDir).RenderURLsAsLinks {
 		message = urlRE.ReplaceAllStringFunc(message, wrapLinksInURL)
 		message = msgfmtr.linkFixer.Replace(message)
@@ -102,23 +102,15 @@ func FormatMessage(message string, boardDir string) template.HTML {
 					// the link is in fact, a valid int
 					var boardDir string
 					var linkParent int
-					var p gcsql.Post
-					p.GetTopPost()
-					if boardDir, err = gcsql.GetBoardDirFromPostID(postID); err != nil {
-						gcutil.LogError(err).
-							Int("postid", postID).
-							Msg("Error getting board dir for backlink")
+					if linkParent, boardDir, err = gcsql.GetTopPostAndBoardDirFromPostID(postID); err != nil {
+						gcutil.LogError(err).Caller().Int("childPostID", postID).Msg("Unable to get top post and board")
+						return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to get top post and board for post #%d", postID)
 					}
-					if err == gcsql.ErrBoardDoesNotExist {
+
+					if linkParent == 0 {
+						// board or op not found
 						lineWords[w] = `<a href="javascript:;"><strike>` + word + `</strike></a>`
 						continue
-					}
-					linkParent, err := gcsql.GetTopPostInThread(postID)
-					if err != nil {
-						gcutil.LogError(err).
-							Int("postid", postID).
-							Msg("Error getting post parent for backlink")
-						lineWords[w] = `<a href="javascript:;"><strike>` + word + `</strike></a>`
 					} else {
 						lineWords[w] = fmt.Sprintf(`<a href="%s%s/res/%d.html#%s" class="postref">%s</a>`, WebRoot, boardDir, linkParent, word[8:], word)
 					}
@@ -135,5 +127,5 @@ func FormatMessage(message string, boardDir string) template.HTML {
 		}
 		postLines[i] = line
 	}
-	return template.HTML(strings.Join(postLines, "<br />")) // skipcq: GSC-G203
+	return template.HTML(strings.Join(postLines, "<br />")), nil // skipcq: GSC-G203
 }
diff --git a/pkg/posting/formatting_test.go b/pkg/posting/formatting_test.go
index 0b2fb7cb..4c22a1a4 100644
--- a/pkg/posting/formatting_test.go
+++ b/pkg/posting/formatting_test.go
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ func TestNoDoubleTags(t *testing.T) {
 	config.SetVersion(versionStr)
 	msgfmtr = new(MessageFormatter)
 	msgfmtr.Init()
-	rendered := FormatMessage(doubleTagPreRender, "")
+	rendered, err := FormatMessage(doubleTagPreRender, "")
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.EqualValues(t, doubleTagExpected, rendered)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/posting/post.go b/pkg/posting/post.go
index 16be7c28..9e96fb86 100644
--- a/pkg/posting/post.go
+++ b/pkg/posting/post.go
@@ -227,7 +227,10 @@ func MakePost(writer http.ResponseWriter, request *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	post.Message = FormatMessage(post.MessageRaw, postBoard.Dir)
+	if post.Message, err = FormatMessage(post.MessageRaw, postBoard.Dir); err != nil {
+		errEv.Err(err).Caller().Msg("Unable to format message")
+		server.ServeError(writer, err.Error(), wantsJSON, nil)
+	}
 	password := request.FormValue("postpassword")
 	if password == "" {
 		password = gcutil.RandomString(8)