diff --git a/live-embed/src/Post.tsx b/live-embed/src/Post.tsx
index 96b7b91..c69ff18 100644
--- a/live-embed/src/Post.tsx
+++ b/live-embed/src/Post.tsx
@@ -1,64 +1,30 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
-
-const nicerSource = source => ({
-  'app.bsky.feed.like:subject.uri': 'like', // likes
-  'app.bsky.feed.repost:subject.uri': 'repost', // reposts
-  'app.bsky.feed.post:embed.record.uri': 'quote', // normal quotes
-  'app.bsky.feed.post:embed.record.record.uri': 'quote', // RecordWithMedia quotes
-  'app.bsky.feed.post:reply.root.uri': 'reply', // all child replies
-}[source]);
+import { getPostStats } from './constellation';
+import linkSources from './linkSources';
 
 export function Post({ atUri, updatedLinks }) {
   const [baseStats, setBaseStats] = useState({});
-
-  const nicerStats = {};
-
-  for (const [collection, paths] of Object.entries(baseStats)) {
-    for (const [oldStylePath, counts] of Object.entries(paths)) {
-      const newStylePath = `${collection}:${oldStylePath.slice(1)}`;
-      const name = nicerSource(newStylePath);
-      if (!name) continue; // perils of constellation's (soon-deprecated) /all
-      if (name === 'like') {
-        nicerStats[name] = counts.distinct_dids;
-      } else {
-        nicerStats[name] = counts.records;
-      }
-    }
-  }
+  const liveStats = { ...baseStats };
 
   for (const [key, val] of Object.entries(updatedLinks)) {
-    const name = nicerSource(key);
-    if (!nicerStats[name]) nicerStats[name] = 0;
-    nicerStats[name] += val;
+    const name = linkSources[key];
+    if (!liveStats[name]) liveStats[name] = 0;
+    liveStats[name] += val;
   }
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    let cancel = false;
-
-    (async () => {
-      try {
-        const url = new URL('/links/all', 'https://constellation.microcosm.blue');
-        url.searchParams.set('target', atUri);
-        const res = await fetch(url);
-        if (!res.ok) throw new Error(res);
-        const { links } = await res.json();
-        setBaseStats(links);
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.warn('fetching base stats failed', e);
-      }
-    })();
-
-    return () => cancel = true;
+    let alive = true;
+    getPostStats(atUri).then(
+      stats => alive && setBaseStats(stats),
+      e => console.warn('fetching base stats failed', e));
+    return () => alive = false;
   }, [atUri]);
 
-  useState()
-
-
   return (
     <div>
       <p>
         {atUri}<br/>
-        {JSON.stringify(nicerStats)}
+        {JSON.stringify(liveStats)}
       </p>
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/live-embed/src/constellation.ts b/live-embed/src/constellation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4961d06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/live-embed/src/constellation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import linkSources from './linkSources';
+
+/**
+ * get nice historical counts from constellation
+ *
+ * constellation's api still uses separated collection/path sources, and
+ * likes should be distinct where everything else is record counts.
+ *
+ * constellation still can only specify one link source per request or /all
+ *
+ * handles stuff like that
+ **/
+export async function getPostStats(
+  atUri: string,
+  endpoint: string = 'https://constellation.microcosm.blue'
+) {
+  const url = new URL('/links/all', endpoint);
+  url.searchParams.set('target', atUri);
+  const res = await fetch(url);
+  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(res);
+  const { links } = await res.json();
+
+  const niceLinks = {};
+
+  for (const [collection, paths] of Object.entries(links)) {
+    for (const [oldStylePath, counts] of Object.entries(paths)) {
+      const newStylePath = `${collection}:${oldStylePath.slice(1)}`;
+      const name = linkSources[newStylePath];
+      if (!name) continue; // perils of constellation's (soon-deprecated) /all
+      if (name === 'like') {
+        niceLinks[name] = counts.distinct_dids;
+      } else {
+        niceLinks[name] = counts.records;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return niceLinks;
+}
diff --git a/live-embed/src/linkSources.ts b/live-embed/src/linkSources.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d33217
--- /dev/null
+++ b/live-embed/src/linkSources.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+const linkSources = {
+  'app.bsky.feed.like:subject.uri': 'like',
+  'app.bsky.feed.repost:subject.uri': 'repost', // actual repost
+  'app.bsky.feed.post:embed.record.uri': 'repost', // normal quote (grouped for count)
+  'app.bsky.feed.post:embed.record.record.uri': 'repost', // RecordWithMedia quote (grouped for count)
+  'app.bsky.feed.post:reply.root.uri': 'reply', // root: count all descendent replies
+};
+
+export { linkSources as default };
diff --git a/live-embed/src/samplePosts.ts b/live-embed/src/samplePosts.ts
index 0f91975..f1024e7 100644
--- a/live-embed/src/samplePosts.ts
+++ b/live-embed/src/samplePosts.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+import { getPostStats } from './constellation';
 
 const SEKELETON_API = 'https://discover.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.getFeedSkeleton';
 const FEED = 'at://did:plc:z72i7hdynmk6r22z27h6tvur/app.bsky.feed.generator/whats-hot';
 const POLL_DELAY = 9000;
-const POST_LIMIT = 10;
+const POST_LIMIT = 5;
 
 async function getFeed() {
   const url = new URL(SEKELETON_API);
@@ -31,13 +32,29 @@ export function rotatingPair(onRotate: any) {
       const { feed } = await getFeed();
       if (dying) return;
 
+      const withStats = await Promise.all(feed.map(async ({ post }) => {
+        if (seen.has(post)) return { post, total: 0 };
+        let stats = {};
+        try {
+          stats = await getPostStats(post);
+        } catch (e) {
+          console.warn('failed to get stats from constellation', e);
+        }
+        const total = Array.from(Object.values(stats)).reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0);
+        return ({ post, total })
+      }))
+      if (dying) return;
+
+      // idk if sorting by most interactions yields more-interactive posts but eh
+      withStats.sort(({ total: a }, { total: b }) => b - a);
+
       // special case: first load
       if (A === null && B === null) {
-        if (feed.length < 2) throw new Error('feed returned fewer than two posts to start');
-        seen.add(A = feed[0].post);
-        seen.add(B = feed[1].post);
+        if (withStats.length < 2) throw new Error('withStats returned fewer than two posts to start');
+        seen.add(A = withStats[0].post);
+        seen.add(B = withStats[1].post);
       } else {
-        for (const { post } of feed) {
+        for (const { post } of withStats) {
           if (seen.has(post)) {
             continue;
           }
@@ -53,7 +70,7 @@ export function rotatingPair(onRotate: any) {
       }
       onRotate([A, B]);
     } catch (e) {
-      console.error('hmm, failed to get feed', e);
+      console.error('hmm, failed to get withStats', e);
     }
     timer = setTimeout(next, POLL_DELAY);
   }
diff --git a/live-embed/src/spacedust.ts b/live-embed/src/spacedust.ts
index 2b010f3..4960b1f 100644
--- a/live-embed/src/spacedust.ts
+++ b/live-embed/src/spacedust.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import linkSources from './linkSources';
 
 type SpacedustStatus = 'disconnected' | 'connecting' | 'connected';
 
@@ -22,13 +23,7 @@ export class Spacedust {
 
   #subjects: string[];
   #subjectsDirty: boolean = false; // in case we try to update while disconnected
-  #sources: string[] = [ // hard-coding for demo
-    "app.bsky.feed.like:subject.uri", // likes
-    "app.bsky.feed.repost:subject.uri", // reposts
-    "app.bsky.feed.post:embed.record.uri", // normal quotes
-    "app.bsky.feed.post:embed.record.record.uri", // RecordWithMedia quotes
-    "app.bsky.feed.post:reply.root.uri", // all child replies
-  ];
+  #sources: string[] = Object.keys(linkSources); // hard-coding for demo
   #eol: boolean = false; // flag: we should shut down
 
   constructor(