diff --git a/src/queries.ts b/src/queries.ts
index 3ca805a8..e93027d9 100644
--- a/src/queries.ts
+++ b/src/queries.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { Storages } from '@/storages.ts';
 import { type DittoEvent } from '@/interfaces/DittoEvent.ts';
 import { type DittoRelation } from '@/interfaces/DittoFilter.ts';
 import { hydrateEvents } from '@/storages/hydrate.ts';
+import { fallbackAuthor } from '@/utils.ts';
 import { findReplyTag, getTagSet } from '@/utils/tags.ts';
 
 const debug = Debug('ditto:queries');
@@ -38,15 +39,21 @@ const getEvent = async (
     .then(([event]) => event);
 };
 
-/** Get a Nostr `set_medatadata` event for a user's pubkey. */
-const getAuthor = async (pubkey: string, opts: GetEventOpts = {}): Promise<NostrEvent | undefined> => {
+/**
+ * Get a Nostr `set_medatadata` event for a user's pubkey.
+ * @deprecated Use `store.query` directly.
+ */
+async function getAuthor(pubkey: string, opts: GetEventOpts = {}): Promise<NostrEvent | undefined> {
   const store = await Storages.db();
   const { signal = AbortSignal.timeout(1000) } = opts;
 
-  return await store.query([{ authors: [pubkey], kinds: [0], limit: 1 }], { limit: 1, signal })
-    .then((events) => hydrateEvents({ events, store, signal }))
-    .then(([event]) => event);
-};
+  const events = await store.query([{ authors: [pubkey], kinds: [0], limit: 1 }], { limit: 1, signal });
+  const event = events[0] ?? fallbackAuthor(pubkey);
+
+  await hydrateEvents({ events: [event], store, signal });
+
+  return event;
+}
 
 /** Get users the given pubkey follows. */
 const getFollows = async (pubkey: string, signal?: AbortSignal): Promise<NostrEvent | undefined> => {
diff --git a/src/storages/hydrate.ts b/src/storages/hydrate.ts
index a30608ca..8b2067e9 100644
--- a/src/storages/hydrate.ts
+++ b/src/storages/hydrate.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { z } from 'zod';
 import { DittoTables } from '@/db/DittoTables.ts';
 import { Conf } from '@/config.ts';
 import { type DittoEvent } from '@/interfaces/DittoEvent.ts';
+import { fallbackAuthor } from '@/utils.ts';
 import { findQuoteTag } from '@/utils/tags.ts';
 import { findQuoteInContent } from '@/utils/note.ts';
 import { getAmount } from '@/utils/bolt11.ts';
@@ -229,19 +230,29 @@ function gatherQuotes({ events, store, signal }: HydrateOpts): Promise<DittoEven
 }
 
 /** Collect authors from the events. */
-function gatherAuthors({ events, store, signal }: HydrateOpts): Promise<DittoEvent[]> {
+async function gatherAuthors({ events, store, signal }: HydrateOpts): Promise<DittoEvent[]> {
   const pubkeys = new Set(events.map((event) => {
-    if (event.kind === 9735) {
+    if (event.kind === 9735) { // FIXME: This code doesn't belong in this function.
       const pubkey = event.tags.find(([name]) => name === 'p')?.[1];
       if (pubkey) return pubkey;
     }
     return event.pubkey;
   }));
 
-  return store.query(
+  const authors = await store.query(
     [{ kinds: [0], authors: [...pubkeys], limit: pubkeys.size }],
     { signal },
   );
+
+  for (const pubkey of pubkeys) {
+    const author = authors.find((e) => matchFilter({ kinds: [0], authors: [pubkey] }, e));
+    if (author) {
+      const fallback = fallbackAuthor(pubkey);
+      authors.push(fallback);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return authors;
 }
 
 /** Collect users from the events. */
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index ae257374..a1298de9 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -74,6 +74,30 @@ function isURL(value: unknown): boolean {
   return z.string().url().safeParse(value).success;
 }
 
-export { bech32ToPubkey, eventAge, findTag, isNostrId, isURL, type Nip05, nostrDate, nostrNow, parseNip05 };
+/** Render an empty author event so other things can stick to it. */
+function fallbackAuthor(pubkey: string): NostrEvent {
+  return {
+    kind: 0,
+    pubkey,
+    content: '',
+    tags: [],
+    created_at: nostrNow(),
+    id: '',
+    sig: '',
+  };
+}
+
+export {
+  bech32ToPubkey,
+  eventAge,
+  fallbackAuthor,
+  findTag,
+  isNostrId,
+  isURL,
+  type Nip05,
+  nostrDate,
+  nostrNow,
+  parseNip05,
+};
 
 export { Time } from '@/utils/time.ts';