diff --git a/lib/myapp/data/category.ex b/lib/myapp/data/category.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c54a890
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/myapp/data/category.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+defmodule MyApp.Data.Category do
+  use Ecto.Schema
+  import Ecto.Query
+  import Ecto.Changeset
+  alias MyApp.Repo
+  alias MyApp.Data
+
+  @derive {Poison.Encoder, except: [:__meta__]}
+  schema "category" do
+    field :category, :string
+    field :title, :string
+  end
+
+  def changeset(category, params \\ %{}) do
+    category
+    |> cast(params, [:category, :title])
+    |> validate_required([:category, :title])
+  end
+
+  def get_categories() do
+    Repo.all(Data.Category)
+  end
+
+end
diff --git a/lib/myapp/data/reply.ex b/lib/myapp/data/reply.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..814e953
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/myapp/data/reply.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+defmodule MyApp.Data.Reply do
+  use Ecto.Schema
+  import Ecto.Query
+  import Ecto.Changeset
+  alias MyApp.Repo
+  alias MyApp.Data
+
+  @derive {Poison.Encoder, except: [:__meta__]}
+  schema "reply" do
+    field :user_id, :integer # references :user
+    field :thread_id, :integer # references :thread
+    field :content, :string
+    field :edited, :boolean, default: false
+    field :quote, :boolean, default: false
+    timestamps()
+  end
+
+  def changeset(reply, params \\ %{}) do
+    reply
+    |> cast(params, [:user_id, :thread_id, :content, :edited, :quote])
+    |> validate_required([:user_id, :thread_id, :content])
+    |> foreign_key_constraint(:user_id)
+    |> foreign_key_constraint(:thread_id)
+  end
+
+  def insert_reply(params) do
+    changeset(%Data.Reply{}, params)
+    |> Repo.insert
+    |> Data.Util.process_insert_or_update
+  end
+
+end
diff --git a/lib/myapp/data/thread.ex b/lib/myapp/data/thread.ex
index 03a700b..2dca3a2 100644
--- a/lib/myapp/data/thread.ex
+++ b/lib/myapp/data/thread.ex
@@ -8,21 +8,43 @@ defmodule MyApp.Data.Thread do
   @derive {Poison.Encoder, except: [:__meta__]}
   schema "thread" do
     field :title, :string
+    field :category_id, :integer # references :category
     field :content, :string
-    field :view_count, :integer
-    field :user_id, :integer
+    field :view_count, :integer, default: 0
+    field :user_id, :integer # references :user
     field :last_reply_id, :integer
     field :sticky, :boolean, default: false
     field :locked, :boolean, default: false
+    field :edited, :boolean, default: false
 
-    belongs_to :user, Data.User, define_field: false
     timestamps()
   end
 
   def changeset(thread, params \\ %{}) do
     thread
-    |> cast(params, [:title, :content, :user_id, :view_count, :last_reply_id, :sticky, :locked])
-    |> validate_required([:title, :content, :user_id])
+    |> cast(params, [:id, :title, :category_id, :content, :user_id, :view_count, :last_reply_id, :sticky, :locked, :edited])
+    |> validate_required([:title, :category_id, :content, :user_id])
+    |> foreign_key_constraint(:category_id)
+  end
+
+  def insert_thread(params) do
+    changeset(%Data.Thread{}, params)
+    |> Repo.insert
+    |> Data.Util.process_insert_or_update
+  end
+
+  def update_thread(params) do
+    Repo.get(Data.Thread, Map.get(params, "id"))
+    |> process_update(params)
+  end
+
+  # TODO: check user permissions for sticky/locked
+  defp process_update(thread, _params) when is_nil(thread), do: {:error, "Invalid thread"}
+  defp process_update(thread, params) when not is_nil(thread) do
+    changeset(thread, Map.take(params, ["content", "edited", "sticky", "locked"]))
+    |> IO.inspect
+    |> Repo.update
+    |> Data.Util.process_insert_or_update
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/lib/myapp/data/user.ex b/lib/myapp/data/user.ex
index a643c2a..b04107b 100644
--- a/lib/myapp/data/user.ex
+++ b/lib/myapp/data/user.ex
@@ -5,12 +5,11 @@ defmodule MyApp.Data.User do
   alias MyApp.Repo
   alias MyApp.Data
 
-  @derive {Poison.Encoder, except: [:__meta__]}
+  @derive {Poison.Encoder, except: [:__meta__, :__struct__]}
   schema "user" do
     field :battle_net_id, :integer
     field :battletag, :string
 
-    has_many :threads, Data.Thread
     timestamps()
   end
 
@@ -55,29 +54,22 @@ defmodule MyApp.Data.User do
   end
 
   defp insert_user(params) do
-    cs = changeset(%Data.User{}, params)
-    cs
+    changeset(%Data.User{}, params)
     |> Repo.insert
-    |> process_insert_or_update
+    |> Data.Util.process_insert_or_update
+    |> filter_values
   end
 
   # it's possible for a user's battle tag to change - if so update it
   defp update_battletag(user, params) do
-    cs = Data.User.changeset(Map.merge(%Data.User{}, user), %{battletag: Map.get(params, "battletag")})
-    cs
+    changeset(Map.merge(%Data.User{}, user), %{battletag: Map.get(params, "battletag")})
     |> Repo.update
-    |> process_insert_or_update
+    |> Data.Util.process_insert_or_update
+    |> filter_values
   end
 
-  defp process_insert_or_update({:error, changeset}), do: {:error, map_changeset(changeset)}
-  defp process_insert_or_update({:ok, user}) do
-    {:ok, Map.take(user, [:id, :battle_net_id, :battletag])} # only grab the fields we need
-  end
-
-  defp map_changeset(changeset) do
-    Enum.map(changeset.errors, fn {key, val} ->
-      %{key => elem(val, 0)}
-    end)
-  end
+  # take certain values after insertion
+  defp filter_values({:error, error}), do: {:error, error}
+  defp filter_values({:ok, user}), do: {:ok, Map.take(user, [:id, :battle_net_id, :battletag])}
 
 end
diff --git a/lib/myapp/data/util.ex b/lib/myapp/data/util.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d64d08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/myapp/data/util.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+defmodule MyApp.Data.Util do
+
+  def map_changeset(changeset) do
+    Enum.map(changeset.errors, fn {key, val} ->
+      %{key => elem(val, 0)}
+    end)
+  end
+
+  def process_insert_or_update({:error, changeset}), do: {:error, map_changeset(changeset)}
+  def process_insert_or_update({:ok, data}), do: {:ok, data}
+
+end
diff --git a/lib/myapp_web/controllers/category_controller.ex b/lib/myapp_web/controllers/category_controller.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e681965
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/myapp_web/controllers/category_controller.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+defmodule MyAppWeb.CategoryController do
+  use MyAppWeb, :controller
+  alias MyAppWeb.Response
+  alias MyApp.Data
+
+  @spec get_collection(map, map) :: any
+  def get_collection(conn, _params) do
+
+    output = Data.Category.get_categories()
+
+    conn
+    |> put_status(200)
+    |> Response.json(output)
+  end
+  
+end
diff --git a/lib/myapp_web/controllers/reply_controller.ex b/lib/myapp_web/controllers/reply_controller.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6b74fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/myapp_web/controllers/reply_controller.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+defmodule MyAppWeb.ReplyController do
+  use MyAppWeb, :controller
+  alias MyAppWeb.Response
+  alias MyApp.Data
+
+  @spec insert(map, map) :: any
+  def insert(conn, params) do
+    user_id = conn
+    |> MyApp.Guardian.Plug.current_claims
+    |> Map.get("id")
+
+    {output, status} = params
+      |> Map.put("user_id",  user_id)
+      |> Data.Reply.insert_reply
+      |> Response.put_resp
+
+    conn
+    |> put_status(status)
+    |> Response.json(output)
+  end
+  
+end
diff --git a/lib/myapp_web/controllers/thread_controller.ex b/lib/myapp_web/controllers/thread_controller.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab11f40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/myapp_web/controllers/thread_controller.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+defmodule MyAppWeb.ThreadController do
+  use MyAppWeb, :controller
+  alias MyAppWeb.Response
+  alias MyApp.Data
+
+  @spec insert(map, map) :: any
+  def insert(conn, params) do
+    user_id = conn
+    |> MyApp.Guardian.Plug.current_claims
+    |> Map.get("id")
+
+    {output, status} = params
+      |> Map.put("user_id",  user_id)
+      |> Data.Thread.insert_thread
+      |> Response.put_resp
+
+    conn
+    |> put_status(status)
+    |> Response.json(output)
+  end
+
+  @spec update(map, map) :: any
+  def update(conn, params) do
+    user_id = conn
+    |> MyApp.Guardian.Plug.current_claims
+    |> Map.get("id")
+
+    {output, status} = params
+      |> Map.put("user_id",  user_id)
+      |> Data.Thread.update_thread
+      |> Response.put_resp
+
+    conn
+    |> put_status(status)
+    |> Response.json(output)
+  end
+  
+end
diff --git a/lib/myapp_web/router.ex b/lib/myapp_web/router.ex
index 1816458..8a824c7 100644
--- a/lib/myapp_web/router.ex
+++ b/lib/myapp_web/router.ex
@@ -26,6 +26,23 @@ defmodule MyAppWeb.Router do
       pipe_through [:api_auth]
       get "/", UserController, :index
     end
+
+    scope "/thread" do
+      # authenticated routes
+      pipe_through [:api_auth]
+      post "/", ThreadController, :insert
+      put "/", ThreadController, :update
+    end
+
+    scope "reply" do
+      # authenticated routes
+      pipe_through [:api_auth]
+      post "/", ReplyController, :insert
+    end
+
+    scope "/category" do
+      get "/", CategoryController, :get_collection
+    end
   end
   
 end
diff --git a/mix.exs b/mix.exs
index e0f3e38..9f3461a 100644
--- a/mix.exs
+++ b/mix.exs
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ defmodule MyApp.Mixfile do
   # See the documentation for `Mix` for more info on aliases.
   defp aliases do
     [
-      "ecto.setup": ["ecto.create", "ecto.migrate", "run priv/repo/seeds.exs"],
+      "ecto.setup": ["ecto.create", "ecto.migrate", "seeds"],
+      "seeds": ["run priv/repo/seeds.exs"],
       "ecto.reset": ["ecto.drop", "ecto.setup"],
       "test": ["ecto.create --quiet", "ecto.migrate", "test"]
     ]
diff --git a/priv/repo/migrations/20180102015706_create_thread.exs b/priv/repo/migrations/20180102015706_create_thread.exs
index fb491e5..f890fea 100644
--- a/priv/repo/migrations/20180102015706_create_thread.exs
+++ b/priv/repo/migrations/20180102015706_create_thread.exs
@@ -4,15 +4,15 @@ defmodule MyApp.Repo.Migrations.CreateThread do
   def change do
     create table(:thread) do
       add :title, :string
+      add :category_id, :integer
       add :content, :string
       add :view_count, :integer
       add :user_id, references(:user)
-      add :last_reply_id, :integer
+      add :last_reply_id, :integer # TODO: figure this out
       add :sticky, :boolean
       add :locked, :boolean
-
+      add :edited, :boolean
       timestamps()
     end
-
   end
 end
diff --git a/priv/repo/migrations/20180103015757_create_category.exs b/priv/repo/migrations/20180103015757_create_category.exs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dbea78c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/priv/repo/migrations/20180103015757_create_category.exs
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+defmodule MyApp.Repo.Migrations.CreateCategory do
+  use Ecto.Migration
+
+  def change do
+    create table(:category) do
+      add :category, :string
+      add :title, :string
+    end
+
+    create unique_index(:category, [:category, :title])
+  end
+
+end
diff --git a/priv/repo/migrations/20180103020058_thread_category_foreign_key.exs b/priv/repo/migrations/20180103020058_thread_category_foreign_key.exs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96f8ee4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/priv/repo/migrations/20180103020058_thread_category_foreign_key.exs
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+defmodule MyApp.Repo.Migrations.ThreadCategoryForeignKey do
+  use Ecto.Migration
+
+  def change do
+    alter table(:thread) do
+      modify :category_id, references(:category)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/priv/repo/migrations/20180103040352_create_reply.exs b/priv/repo/migrations/20180103040352_create_reply.exs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2490e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/priv/repo/migrations/20180103040352_create_reply.exs
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+defmodule MyApp.Repo.Migrations.CreateReply do
+  use Ecto.Migration
+
+  def change do
+    create table(:reply) do
+      add :user_id, references(:user)
+      add :thread_id, references(:thread)
+      add :content, :string
+      add :edited, :boolean
+      add :quote, :boolean
+      timestamps()
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/priv/repo/seeds.exs b/priv/repo/seeds.exs
index e4ba004..4b0736b 100644
--- a/priv/repo/seeds.exs
+++ b/priv/repo/seeds.exs
@@ -9,3 +9,55 @@
 #
 # We recommend using the bang functions (`insert!`, `update!`
 # and so on) as they will fail if something goes wrong.
+
+alias MyApp.Repo
+alias MyApp.Data
+
+defmodule Category do
+
+  def get_seed() do
+    map_categories("class", get_classes())
+    |> Enum.concat(map_categories("realm", get_realms()))
+    |> Enum.concat(map_categories("other", get_other()))
+  end
+
+  defp map_categories(category, titles) do
+    titles
+    |> Enum.map(fn (t) -> %{category: category, title: t} end)
+  end
+
+  defp get_classes() do
+    [
+      "Druid",
+      "Rogue",
+      "Priest",
+      "Hunter",
+      "Shaman",
+      "Warrior",
+      "Mage",
+      "Paladin",
+      "Warlock",
+    ]
+  end
+
+  # TODO: add all realms
+  defp get_realms() do
+    [
+      "Stonemaul",
+    ]
+  end
+
+  defp get_other() do
+    [
+      "Off-Topic",
+      "Guild Recruitment",
+      "General Discussion",
+      "Suggestions",
+      "Role-Playing",
+      "Raid and Dungeon Discussion",
+    ]
+  end
+
+end
+
+Repo.insert_all(Data.Category, Category.get_seed())