diff --git a/functions.py b/functions.py
index 5321941..00bc351 100644
--- a/functions.py
+++ b/functions.py
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
-import html, re
+import MySQLdb
+import markovify
+from mastodon import Mastodon
+import html, re, json
+
+cfg = json.load(open('config.json'))
+
+class nlt_fixed(markovify.NewlineText): # modified version of NewlineText that never rejects sentences
+	def test_sentence_input(self, sentence):
+		return True # all sentences are valid <3
 
 def extract_post(post):
 	post = html.unescape(post) # convert HTML escape codes to text
@@ -24,3 +33,70 @@ def extract_post(post):
 	text = re.sub("https://([^/]+)/users/([^ ]+)", r"@\2@\1", text) # put pleroma-style mentions back in
 	text = text.rstrip("\n") # remove trailing newline(s)
 	return text
+
+def make_post(handle):
+	handle = handle[0]
+	db = MySQLdb.connect(
+		host = cfg['db_host'],
+		user=cfg['db_user'],
+		passwd=cfg['db_pass'],
+		db=cfg['db_name']
+	)
+	print("Generating post for {}".format(handle))
+	c = db.cursor()
+	c.execute("""
+	SELECT 
+			learn_from_cw, client_id, client_secret, secret
+	FROM
+			bots, credentials
+	WHERE
+			bots.credentials_id = (SELECT 
+							credentials_id
+					FROM
+							bots
+					WHERE
+							handle = %s)
+	""", (handle,))
+
+	bot = c.fetchone()
+	client = Mastodon(
+		client_id = bot[1],
+		client_secret = bot[2],
+		access_token = bot[3],
+		api_base_url = "https://{}".format(handle.split("@")[2])
+	)
+
+	# by default, only select posts that don't have CWs.
+	# if learn_from_cw, then also select posts with CWs
+	cw_list = [False]
+	if bot[0]:
+		cw_list = [False, True]
+
+	# select 1000 random posts for the bot to learn from
+	c.execute("SELECT content FROM posts WHERE fedi_id IN (SELECT fedi_id FROM bot_learned_accounts WHERE bot_id = %s) AND cw IN %s ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1000", (handle, cw_list))
+
+	# this line is a little gross/optimised but here's what it does
+	# 1. fetch all of the results from the above query
+	# 2. turn (('this',), ('format')) into ('this', 'format')
+	# 3. convert the tuple to a list
+	# 4. join the list into a string separated by newlines
+	posts = "\n".join(list(sum(c.fetchall(), ())))
+
+	model = nlt_fixed(posts)
+	tries = 0
+	sentence = None
+	# even with such a high tries value for markovify, it still sometimes returns none.
+	# so we implement our own tries function as well, and try ten times.
+	while sentence is None and tries < 10:
+		sentence = model.make_short_sentence(500, tries = 10000)
+		tries += 1
+
+	# TODO: mention handling
+
+	if sentence == None:
+		# TODO: send an error email
+		pass
+	else:
+		client.status_post(sentence)
+
+	# TODO: update date of last post
diff --git a/service.py b/service.py
index f68af7f..1c75fea 100755
--- a/service.py
+++ b/service.py
@@ -9,10 +9,6 @@ import functions
 
 cfg = json.load(open('config.json'))
 
-class nlt_fixed(markovify.NewlineText): # modified version of NewlineText that never rejects sentences
-	def test_sentence_input(self, sentence):
-		return True # all sentences are valid <3
-
 def scrape_posts(account):
 	handle = account[0]
 	outbox = account[1]
@@ -88,67 +84,6 @@ def scrape_posts(account):
 		db.commit()
 		c.close()
 
-def make_post(handle):
-	handle = handle[0]
-	print("Generating post for {}".format(handle))
-	c = db.cursor()
-	c.execute("""
-	SELECT 
-			learn_from_cw, client_id, client_secret, secret
-	FROM
-			bots, credentials
-	WHERE
-			bots.credentials_id = (SELECT 
-							credentials_id
-					FROM
-							bots
-					WHERE
-							handle = %s)
-	""", (handle,))
-
-	bot = c.fetchone()
-	client = Mastodon(
-		client_id = bot[1],
-		client_secret = bot[2],
-		access_token = bot[3],
-		api_base_url = "https://{}".format(handle.split("@")[2])
-	)
-
-	# by default, only select posts that don't have CWs.
-	# if learn_from_cw, then also select posts with CWs
-	cw_list = [False]
-	if bot[0]:
-		cw_list = [False, True]
-
-	# select 1000 random posts for the bot to learn from
-	c.execute("SELECT content FROM posts WHERE fedi_id IN (SELECT fedi_id FROM bot_learned_accounts WHERE bot_id = %s) AND cw IN %s ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1000", (handle, cw_list))
-
-	# this line is a little gross/optimised but here's what it does
-	# 1. fetch all of the results from the above query
-	# 2. turn (('this',), ('format')) into ('this', 'format')
-	# 3. convert the tuple to a list
-	# 4. join the list into a string separated by newlines
-	posts = "\n".join(list(sum(c.fetchall(), ())))
-
-	model = nlt_fixed(posts)
-	tries = 0
-	sentence = None
-	# even with such a high tries value for markovify, it still sometimes returns none.
-	# so we implement our own tries function as well, and try ten times.
-	while sentence is None and tries < 10:
-		sentence = model.make_short_sentence(500, tries = 10000)
-		tries += 1
-
-	# TODO: mention handling
-
-	if sentence == None:
-		# TODO: send an error email
-		pass
-	else:
-		client.status_post(sentence)
-
-	# TODO: update date of last post
-
 print("Establishing DB connection")
 db = MySQLdb.connect(
 	host = cfg['db_host'],
@@ -173,6 +108,6 @@ cursor.execute("SELECT handle FROM bots WHERE enabled = TRUE")
 bots = cursor.fetchall()
 
 with Pool(8) as p:
-	p.map(make_post, bots)
+	p.map(functions.make_post, bots)
 
 #TODO: other cron tasks should be done here, like updating profile pictures