diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bd436082f9..526d901336 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     "nodebb-plugin-composer-default": "1.0.20",
     "nodebb-plugin-dbsearch": "0.2.17",
     "nodebb-plugin-emoji-extended": "0.4.15",
-    "nodebb-plugin-markdown": "4.0.6",
+    "nodebb-plugin-markdown": "4.0.7",
     "nodebb-plugin-mentions": "1.0.8",
     "nodebb-plugin-soundpack-default": "0.1.4",
     "nodebb-plugin-spam-be-gone": "0.4.2",
diff --git a/src/categories/data.js b/src/categories/data.js
index cccacc8a68..5cfdb091b2 100644
--- a/src/categories/data.js
+++ b/src/categories/data.js
@@ -5,13 +5,17 @@ var validator = require('validator');
 var winston = require('winston');
 
 var db = require('../database');
-var plugins = require('../plugins');
 
 module.exports = function(Categories) {
 
 	Categories.getCategoryData = function(cid, callback) {
-		Categories.getCategoriesData([cid], function(err, categories) {
-			callback(err, categories ? categories[0] : null);
+		db.getObject('category:' + cid, function(err, category) {
+			if (err) {
+				return callback(err);
+			}
+
+			modifyCategory(category);
+			callback(null, category);
 		});
 	};
 
@@ -28,13 +32,14 @@ module.exports = function(Categories) {
 				return callback(err, []);
 			}
 
-			async.map(categories, modifyCategory, callback);
+			categories.forEach(modifyCategory);
+			callback(null, categories);
 		});
 	};
 
-	function modifyCategory(category, callback) {
+	function modifyCategory(category) {
 		if (!category) {
-			return callback(null, null);
+			return;
 		}
 
 		category.name = validator.escape(category.name);
@@ -56,8 +61,6 @@ module.exports = function(Categories) {
 			category.description = validator.escape(category.description);
 			category.descriptionParsed = category.descriptionParsed || category.description;
 		}
-
-		callback(null, category);
 	}
 
 	Categories.getCategoryField = function(cid, field, callback) {
@@ -77,7 +80,9 @@ module.exports = function(Categories) {
 			if (err) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
-			async.map(categories, modifyCategory, callback);
+
+			categories.forEach(modifyCategory);
+			callback(null, categories);
 		});
 	};
 
diff --git a/src/controllers/topics.js b/src/controllers/topics.js
index af62540ff6..6dbbb79ec5 100644
--- a/src/controllers/topics.js
+++ b/src/controllers/topics.js
@@ -72,9 +72,7 @@ topicsController.get = function(req, res, callback) {
 				reverse = false;
 
 			// `sort` qs has priority over user setting
-			if (sort === 'oldest_to_newest') {
-				reverse = false;
-			} else if (sort === 'newest_to_oldest') {
+			if (sort === 'newest_to_oldest') {
 				reverse = true;
 			} else if (sort === 'most_votes') {
 				reverse = true;
diff --git a/src/topics/tags.js b/src/topics/tags.js
index e971f1b237..bde9beff8f 100644
--- a/src/topics/tags.js
+++ b/src/topics/tags.js
@@ -24,23 +24,23 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 			},
 			function (data, next) {
 				tags = data.tags.slice(0, meta.config.maximumTagsPerTopic || 5);
+				tags = tags.map(Topics.cleanUpTag).filter(function(tag) {
+					return tag && tag.length >= (meta.config.minimumTagLength || 3);
+				});
 
-				async.each(tags, function(tag, next) {
-					tag = Topics.cleanUpTag(tag);
-					if (tag.length < (meta.config.minimumTagLength || 3)) {
-						return next();
-					}
+				var keys = tags.map(function(tag) {
+					return 'tag:' + tag + ':topics';
+				});
 
-					async.parallel([
-						async.apply(db.setAdd, 'topic:' + tid + ':tags', tag),
-						async.apply(db.sortedSetAdd, 'tag:' + tag + ':topics', timestamp, tid)
-					], function(err) {
-						if (err) {
-							return next(err);
-						}
-						updateTagCount(tag, next);
-					});
-				}, next);
+				async.parallel([
+					async.apply(db.setAdd, 'topic:' + tid + ':tags', tags),
+					async.apply(db.sortedSetsAdd, keys, timestamp, tid)
+				], function(err) {
+					if (err) {
+						return next(err);
+					}
+					async.each(tags, updateTagCount, next);
+				});
 			}
 		], callback);
 	};
@@ -66,9 +66,10 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 	function updateTagCount(tag, callback) {
 		callback = callback || function() {};
 		Topics.getTagTopicCount(tag, function(err, count) {
-			if (err || !count) {
+			if (err) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
+			count = count || 0;
 
 			db.sortedSetAdd('tags:topic:count', count, tag, callback);
 		});