diff --git a/src/api/routes/users/@me/relationships.ts b/src/api/routes/users/@me/relationships.ts
index 88f95a3d3..5cd8a89ba 100644
--- a/src/api/routes/users/@me/relationships.ts
+++ b/src/api/routes/users/@me/relationships.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 */
 
 import { route } from "@spacebar/api";
-import { Config, DiscordApiErrors, Relationship, RelationshipAddEvent, RelationshipRemoveEvent, RelationshipUpdateEvent, User, emitEvent } from "@spacebar/util";
+import { Channel, Config, DiscordApiErrors, Relationship, RelationshipAddEvent, RelationshipRemoveEvent, RelationshipUpdateEvent, User, emitEvent } from "@spacebar/util";
 import { Request, Response, Router } from "express";
 import { HTTPError } from "lambert-server";
 import { PublicUserProjection, RelationshipType, RelationshipPatchSchema } from "@spacebar/schemas";
@@ -315,5 +315,14 @@ async function updateRelationship(req: Request, res: Response, friend: User, typ
         } as RelationshipAddEvent),
     ]);
 
+
+	if (
+		incoming_relationship.type === RelationshipType.friends &&
+		outgoing_relationship.type === RelationshipType.friends
+	) {
+		await Channel.createDMChannel([id], req.user_id);
+		await Channel.createDMChannel([req.user_id], id);
+	}
+
     return res.sendStatus(204);
 }
diff --git a/src/gateway/events/Close.ts b/src/gateway/events/Close.ts
index 988f17fa4..17781edff 100644
--- a/src/gateway/events/Close.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/events/Close.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,26 @@ export async function Close(this: WebSocket, code: number, reason: Buffer) {
     this.removeAllListeners();
 
     if (this.session_id) {
-        await Session.delete({ session_id: this.session_id });
+		const authSessionId = this.session?.session_id;
+		const closedAt = Date.now();
+	
+		setTimeout(async () => {
+			try {
+				if (authSessionId && this.user_id) {
+					const s = await Session.findOne({
+						where: { user_id: this.user_id, session_id: authSessionId },
+					});
+					if (s && (s.last_seen?.getTime() ?? 0) <= closedAt) {
+						await Session.update(
+							{ user_id: this.user_id, session_id: authSessionId },
+							{ status: "offline", activities: [], client_status: {} }
+						);
+					}
+				}
+			} catch(e) {
+				console.error("[WebSocket] Close session cleanup failed", code, e);
+			}
+		}, 10_000);
 
         const voiceState = await VoiceState.findOne({
             where: { user_id: this.user_id },
diff --git a/src/gateway/opcodes/Identify.ts b/src/gateway/opcodes/Identify.ts
index 00fbf6501..3a1b90ff2 100644
--- a/src/gateway/opcodes/Identify.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/opcodes/Identify.ts
@@ -529,12 +529,20 @@ export async function onIdentify(this: WebSocket, data: Payload) {
             let channelUsers = channel.recipients?.map((recipient) => recipient.user.toPublicUser());
 
             if (channelUsers && channelUsers.length > 0) channelUsers.forEach((user) => users.add(user));
-            // HACK: insert self into recipients for DMs with users that no longer exist
+            // HACK: insert "Deleted User" into recipients for DMs with users that no longer exist
             else if (channel.type === ChannelType.DM) {
-                const selfUser = user.toPublicUser();
-                users.add(selfUser);
-                channelUsers ??= [];
-                channelUsers.push(selfUser);
+				const deletedUser = {
+					avatar: null,
+					discriminator: "0000",
+					id: "0",
+					public_flags: 0,
+					username: "Deleted User",
+					badge_ids: null,
+				};
+			
+				users.add(deletedUser as any);
+				channelUsers ??= [];
+				channelUsers.push(deletedUser as any);
             }
 
             return {
diff --git a/src/util/dtos/DmChannelDTO.ts b/src/util/dtos/DmChannelDTO.ts
index 956fe48a4..f703630a7 100644
--- a/src/util/dtos/DmChannelDTO.ts
+++ b/src/util/dtos/DmChannelDTO.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,20 @@ export class DmChannelDTO {
                     }) || [],
             )
         ).map((u) => new MinimalPublicUserDTO(u));
+
+		if (obj.type === 1 && obj.recipients.length === 0) {
+			obj.recipients = [
+				new MinimalPublicUserDTO({
+				avatar: null,
+				discriminator: "0000",
+				id: "0",
+				public_flags: 0,
+				username: "Deleted User",
+				badge_ids: null,
+			} as any),
+			];
+		}
+		
         return obj;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/util/entities/Channel.ts b/src/util/entities/Channel.ts
index d43c9787b..8217a0df3 100644
--- a/src/util/entities/Channel.ts
+++ b/src/util/entities/Channel.ts
@@ -494,13 +494,12 @@ export class Channel extends BaseClass {
         } else {
             await emitEvent({
                 event: "CHANNEL_CREATE",
-                data: channel_dto,
+                data: channel_dto.excludedRecipients([creator_user_id]),
                 user_id: creator_user_id,
             });
         }
 
-        if (recipients.length === 1) return channel_dto;
-        else return channel_dto.excludedRecipients([creator_user_id]);
+        if (recipients.length === 1) return channel_dto.excludedRecipients([creator_user_id]);
     }
 
     static async removeRecipientFromChannel(channel: Channel, user_id: string) {