diff --git a/frontend/public/global.css b/frontend/public/global.css
index 9b40f63..ccd6106 100644
--- a/frontend/public/global.css
+++ b/frontend/public/global.css
@@ -25,10 +25,11 @@
 	--background-color-1: hsl(180, 11%, 7%);
 	--background-color-2: hsl(180, 11%, 10%);
 	--background-color-3: hsl(180, 11%, 12%);
-	--foreground-color-1: rgb(253, 254, 255);
-	--foreground-color-2: rgb(218, 219, 220);
-	--foreground-color-3: rgb(153, 154, 155);
-	--foreground-color-4: rgb(123, 124, 125);
+	--foreground-color-1: hsl(210, 100%, 100%);
+	--foreground-color-2: hsl(63, 10%, 82%);
+	--foreground-color-3: hsl(63, 2%, 60%);
+	--foreground-color-4: hsl(63, 2%, 49%);
+	--foreground-special-color-1: hsl(180, 18%, 70%);
 	--colored-element-text-color: var(--foreground-color-1);
 
 	--purple-1: hsl(280, 78%, 50%);
@@ -88,7 +89,6 @@ body {
 	background-color: var(--background-color-1);
 	font-size: 100%;
 	font-family: "Iosevka Waffle Web", system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;
-	font-weight: 400;
 	line-height: 1.75;
 
 	display: flex;
@@ -264,6 +264,8 @@ body {
 	background-color: var(--red-2);
 }
 
+/* icon buttons */
+
 .icon-button {
 	display: flex;
 	justify-content: center;
@@ -276,6 +278,11 @@ body {
 	font: inherit;
 }
 
+.icon-button .material-icons,
+.icon-button .material-icons-outlined {
+	color: currentColor;
+}
+
 .icon-button-auto {
 	margin-left: auto;
 }
@@ -286,29 +293,12 @@ body {
 
 /* text */
 
-.h1 {
-	font-size: 2.488rem;
-}
-
-.h2 {
-	font-size: 2.074rem;
-}
-
-.h3 {
-	font-size: 1.728rem;
-}
-
-.h4 {
-	font-size: 1.44rem;
-}
-
-.h5 {
-	font-size: 1.2rem;
-}
-
-.text-small {
-	font-size: 0.833rem;
-}
+.h1 {font-size: 1.802rem;}
+.h2 {font-size: 1.602rem;}
+.h3 {font-size: 1.424rem;}
+.h4 {font-size: 1.266rem;}
+.h5 {font-size: 1.125rem;}
+.text-small {font-size: 0.889rem;}
 
 /* sidebar */
 
@@ -347,11 +337,10 @@ body {
 	background-color: var(--background-color-0);
 	padding: var(--space-xs);
 	margin-bottom: var(--space-xxs);
-	color: currentColor;
+	color: var(--foreground-special-color-1);
 	font: inherit;
 	border-radius: var(--radius-md);
 	width: 100%;
-	max-height: 3.4em;
 }
 
 .sidebar-button .sidebar-button-text {
@@ -375,16 +364,17 @@ body {
 }
 
 .sidebar-button.selected {
-	color: var(--colored-element-text-color);
-	background-color: var(--purple-2);
+	color: var(--foreground-color-1);
+	background-color: var(--background-color-3);
 }
 
 .sidebar-button.selected .icon-button {
-	color: var(--colored-element-text-color);
+	color: var(--foreground-color-1);
 }
 
 .material-icons-outlined, .material-icons {
 	user-select: none;
+	color: var(--foreground-special-color-1);
 }
 
 /* badges */
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Message.svelte b/frontend/src/components/Message.svelte
index fd69a29..4af1b53 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Message.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Message.svelte
@@ -19,29 +19,17 @@
 
 <style>
     .message {
-        display: flex;
-        align-items: flex-start;
+        position: relative;
         overflow-x: hidden;
         word-wrap: break-word;
-        padding: var(--space-xs) var(--space-xs) var(--space-xs) var(--space-normplus);
+        padding: 3px 3px 3px var(--space-normplus);
+        margin-top: 16px;
     }
 
-    .message.pinged {
+    .message:hover, .message.pinged {
         background-color: var(--background-color-2);
     }
 
-    .message .edit-message {
-        visibility: hidden;
-    }
-
-    .message:hover {
-        background-color: var(--background-color-3);
-    }
-
-    .message:hover .edit-message {
-        visibility: visible;
-    }
-
     .message-content {
         color: var(--foreground-color-2);
         white-space: pre-wrap;
@@ -52,12 +40,12 @@
     }
 
     .author {
-        display: inline-flex;
+        display: flex;
         align-items: center;
         justify-content: center;
         flex-shrink: 0;
         font-weight: bold;
-        margin-right: var(--space-xs);
+        color: var(--foreground-color-2);
     }
 
     .author-more {
@@ -65,84 +53,70 @@
     }
 
     .author-group {
-        display: inline-flex;
+        display: flex;
         align-items: center;
         flex-shrink: 0;
     }
 
-    .edit-message {
-        flex-shrink: 0;
-        float: right;
+    .message-author-date {
+        color: var(--foreground-color-3);
+        font-size: 0.7rem;
+        margin-left: var(--space-sm);
     }
 
-    .date {
-        display: inline-flex;
-        justify-content: center;
-        align-items: center;
-        background-color: var(--background-color-2);
-        padding-top: 1px;
-        padding-bottom: 1px;
-        padding-left: 0.375rem;
-        padding-right: 0.375rem;
-        border-radius: 9999px;
-        font-size: small;
-        visibility: hidden;
-        margin-left: auto;
-        flex-shrink: 0;
-        user-select: none;
-    }
-
-    .message.clumped .author-group {
-        visibility: hidden;
-    }
-
-    .message:hover .date,
-    .message.clumped:hover .author-group {
-        visibility: visible;
-    }
-
-    @media (max-width: 768px) {
-        .message {
-            padding: var(--space-xxs) var(--space-xxs) var(--space-xxs) var(--space-normplus);
-        }
-
-        .message .message-extra {
-            display: none;
-        }
-
-        .message:hover .message-extra {
-            display: inline-flex;
-        }
-    }
-
-    .message.clumped {
-        padding: 2px 2px 2px var(--space-normplus);
+    .message.clumped  {
+        margin-top: 0;
     }
 
     .via-badge {
+        background-color: var(--background-color-3);
         margin-left: var(--space-xs);
-        margin-right: var(--space-md);
         cursor: default;
         flex-shrink: 0;
     }
+
+    .message-actions {
+        display: flex;
+        position: absolute;
+        top: 3px;
+        right: 12px;
+        z-index: 1;
+    }
+
+    .message-actions .icon-button {
+        margin: 0;
+        padding: 0;
+    }
+
+    .message .message-actions {
+        display: none;
+    }
+
+    .message:hover .message-actions {
+        display: flex;
+    }
 </style>
 
-<div class="message" class:clumped={ message._clumped } class:pinged={ message._mentions }>
-    <div class="author-group">
-        <span class="author" class:author-more={message._viaBadge}>{ message._effectiveAuthor }</span>
-        {#if message._viaBadge}
-            <span class="user-badge via-badge">via { message._viaBadge }</span>
-        {/if}
-    </div>
+<div class="message" class:clumped={ message._clumped } class:has-children={ message._hasChildren } class:pinged={ message._mentions }>
+    {#if !message._clumped}
+        <div class="author-group">
+            <span class="author" class:author-more={message._viaBadge}>{ message._effectiveAuthor }</span>
+            {#if message._viaBadge}
+                <span class="user-badge via-badge">via { message._viaBadge }</span>
+            {/if}
+            <span class="message-author-date">{ message._createdAtTimeString }</span>
+        </div>
+    {/if}
     <span class="message-content" class:pending={ message._isPending }>{ message.content }</span>
 
-    <span class="date message-extra">{ message._createdAtTimeString }</span>
-    <button class="icon-button edit-message message-extra material-icons-outlined" on:click="{ reply }" aria-label="Reply to Message">
-        reply
-    </button>
-    {#if message._editable}
-        <button class="icon-button edit-message message-extra material-icons-outlined" on:click="{ () => overlayStore.push(OverlayType.EditMessage, { message }) }" aria-label="Edit Message">
-            edit
+    <div class="message-actions">
+        <button class="icon-button material-icons-outlined" on:click="{ reply }" aria-label="Reply to Message">
+            reply
         </button>
-    {/if}
+        {#if message._editable}
+            <button class="icon-button material-icons-outlined" on:click="{ () => overlayStore.push(OverlayType.EditMessage, { message }) }" aria-label="Edit Message">
+                edit
+            </button>
+        {/if}
+    </div>
 </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/stores.js b/frontend/src/stores.js
index 7532dad..a7a4723 100644
--- a/frontend/src/stores.js
+++ b/frontend/src/stores.js
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ class MessageStore extends Store {
         }
         if (previous && (message._createdAtDate.getTime() - previous._createdAtDate.getTime()) <= 100 * 1000 && message.author_id === previous.author_id && message._effectiveAuthor === previous._effectiveAuthor && message._viaBadge === previous._viaBadge) {
             message._clumped = true;
+            previous._hasChildren = true;
         }
         if (!previous || (previous._createdAtDateString !== message._createdAtDateString && !message._aboveDateMarker)) {
             message._aboveDateMarker = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(getItem("ui:locale"), { month: "long", day: "numeric", year: "numeric" }).format(message._createdAtDate);