diff --git a/gawa/gawa/settings.py b/gawa/gawa/settings.py
index 363d28f..25546ad 100644
--- a/gawa/gawa/settings.py
+++ b/gawa/gawa/settings.py
@@ -146,8 +146,8 @@ USE_TZ = True
 # Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
 # https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.2/howto/static-files/
 
-STATIC_URL = '/static/'
 STATIC_ROOT = '/app/static'
+STATIC_URL = '/static/'
 
 
 # something for compiling bootstrap
@@ -295,6 +295,6 @@ LOGGING = {
 # this is where user uploaded files will go.
 # TODO change this for prod
 #MEDIA_ROOT = "/home/plex/Documents/code/python/gawa/media"
-MEDIA_ROOT = "media/"
-MEDIA_URL = "/app/media/"
+MEDIA_ROOT = "/app/media"
+MEDIA_URL = "/media/"
 FILE_UPLOAD_TEMP_DIR = "/tmp/gawa/upload"
diff --git a/gawa/gawa/urls.py b/gawa/gawa/urls.py
index 19ffa09..2acddd5 100644
--- a/gawa/gawa/urls.py
+++ b/gawa/gawa/urls.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ urlpatterns += i18n_patterns(
 
 # use my fancy error pages
 # better yet, don't let it come to that
-handler400 = 'start.views.Error400'
-handler404 = 'start.views.Error404'
-handler500 = 'start.views.Error500'
+# FIXME these break the server. something is wrong with them
+#handler400 = 'start.views.Error400'
+#handler404 = 'start.views.Error404'
+#handler500 = 'start.views.Error500'
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similarity index 100%
rename from gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-35483.png
rename to gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-60670.png
diff --git a/gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-22558.png b/gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-61296.png
similarity index 100%
rename from gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-22558.png
rename to gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-61296.png
diff --git a/gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-23100.png b/gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-8906.png
similarity index 100%
rename from gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-23100.png
rename to gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-8906.png
diff --git a/gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-9205.png b/gawa/media/img/links/favicons/favicon-9205.png
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diff --git a/gawa/start/migrations/0009_alter_link_favicon.py b/gawa/start/migrations/0009_alter_link_favicon.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9aecdf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gawa/start/migrations/0009_alter_link_favicon.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Generated by Django 3.2.19 on 2023-06-05 23:01
+
+from django.db import migrations, models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ('start', '0008_link_status'),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name='link',
+            name='favicon',
+            field=models.ImageField(blank=True, null=True, upload_to='img/links/favicons'),
+        ),
+    ]
diff --git a/gawa/start/models.py b/gawa/start/models.py
index 80c1ce4..a377519 100644
--- a/gawa/start/models.py
+++ b/gawa/start/models.py
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ class Link(Searchable):
     # the actual link
     url = models.URLField(unique=True, null=False, primary_key=True)
     favicon_dir: str = "img/links/favicons"
-    favicon = models.ImageField(blank=True, upload_to=favicon_dir)
+    favicon = models.ImageField(blank=True, upload_to=favicon_dir, null=True)
     status = models.BooleanField(default=False)
 
     def __str__(self):
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ class Link(Searchable):
         Implements the abstract method of Searchable
 
         Searches for a favicon in the urr, if one is found, it will be stored in MEDIA_ROOT
+
+        TODO filepathings here suck and are too error prone
         """
         logger.info(f"regenerating {self.__class__.__name__} object: {self}")
         self.suburl = f"/links#{self.title_en}"
@@ -128,14 +130,23 @@ class Link(Searchable):
         else:
             response = requests.get(icons[0].url, stream=True)
             filename: str = f"favicon-{random.randint(0x1000, 0xffff)}.{icons[0].format}"
-            with open(f"{settings.MEDIA_ROOT}/{self.favicon_dir}/{filename}", 'wb') as image:
-                for chunk in response.iter_content(1024):
-                    image.write(chunk)
-                logger.debug(image)
-            with open(f"{settings.MEDIA_ROOT}/{self.favicon_dir}/{filename}", 'rb') as image:
-                self.favicon.save(filename, File(image))
-            logger.info(f"downloaded favicon for {self}")
-            self.status = True
+            try:
+                with open(f"/tmp/{filename}", 'wb') as image:
+                    for chunk in response.iter_content(1024):
+                        image.write(chunk)
+                    logger.debug(image)
+                with open(f"/tmp/{filename}", 'rb') as image:
+                    self.favicon.save(filename, File(image))
+                logger.info(f"downloaded favicon for {self}")
+                self.status = True
+
+            except FileNotFoundError as fe:
+                logger.error(f"cant write favicon to file for {self}: {fe}")
+                self.favicon = None
+            
+            except Exception as e:
+                logger.warn(f"Unexpected Exception while downloading {self}: {e.with_traceback(None)}")
+                self.favicon = None
 
         self.save()