diff --git a/gui.cpp b/gui.cpp
index 7c10b81..ce75b76 100644
--- a/gui.cpp
+++ b/gui.cpp
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ void GUI::run_systems() {
   auto player = $world.get_the<Player>();
   System::motion($world, $game_map);
   System::enemy_pathing($world, $game_map, player);
+  System::lighting($world, $game_map, player);
   System::collision($world, player);
   System::death($world);
 }
diff --git a/map.cpp b/map.cpp
index 329ee1b..b678ca7 100644
--- a/map.cpp
+++ b/map.cpp
@@ -43,9 +43,21 @@ inline void add_neighbors(PointList &neighbors, Matrix &closed, size_t y, size_t
  * can run make_rooms and generate on. It will
  * NOT be valid until you actually run generate.
  */
-Map::Map(size_t width, size_t height) : $limit(1000) {
-  $walls = Matrix(height, MatrixRow(width, INV_WALL));
-  $input_map = Matrix(height, MatrixRow(width, 1));
+Map::Map(size_t width, size_t height) :
+  $limit(1000),
+  $input_map(height, MatrixRow(width, 1)),
+  $walls(height, MatrixRow(width, INV_WALL)),
+  $paths(height, MatrixRow(width, 1)),
+  $lighting(height, MatrixRow(width, 0))
+{
+}
+
+// make explicit
+Map::Map(Matrix input_map, Matrix walls_map, int limit) :
+  $limit(limit),
+  $input_map(input_map),
+  $walls(walls_map)
+{
 }
 
 void Map::make_paths() {
diff --git a/map.hpp b/map.hpp
index f17505e..1c8353c 100644
--- a/map.hpp
+++ b/map.hpp
@@ -32,17 +32,14 @@ void add_neighbors(Matrix &closed, size_t j, size_t i);
 
 class Map {
 public:
+  int $limit;
   Matrix $input_map;
   Matrix $walls;
   Matrix $paths;
+  Matrix $lighting; // BUG: this is not the place
   std::vector<Room> $rooms;
-  int $limit = 0;
 
-  // make explicit
-  Map(Matrix input_map, Matrix walls_map, int limit) :
-    $input_map(input_map),
-    $walls(walls_map), $limit(limit) {
-  }
+  Map(Matrix input_map, Matrix walls_map, int limit);
 
   // make random
   Map(size_t width, size_t height);
@@ -51,6 +48,7 @@ public:
   Map(Map &map) = delete;
 
   Matrix& paths() { return $paths; }
+  Matrix& lighting() { return $lighting; }
   Matrix& input_map() { return $input_map; }
   Matrix& walls() { return $walls; }
   int limit() { return $limit; }
diff --git a/systems.cpp b/systems.cpp
index ae05f09..143e926 100644
--- a/systems.cpp
+++ b/systems.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,21 @@ using namespace fmt;
 using namespace components;
 using ftxui::Color;
 
+void System::lighting(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map, Player &player) {
+  const auto& player_light = world.get<LightSource>(player.entity);
+  auto &paths = game_map.paths();
+  auto &lighting = game_map.lighting();
+  const int LIGHT_MIN = 10;
+  const int LIGHT_MAX = 110;
+
+  for(size_t x = 0; x < game_map.width(); ++x) {
+    for(size_t y = 0; y < game_map.height(); ++y) {
+      int dnum = paths[y][x];
+      lighting[y][x] = std::clamp(255 - (dnum * player_light.strength), LIGHT_MIN, LIGHT_MAX);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 void System::enemy_pathing(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map, Player &player) {
   // TODO: this will be on each enemy not a global thing
   const auto &config = world.get_the<EnemyConfig>();
@@ -128,17 +143,22 @@ void System::collision(DinkyECS::World &world, Player &player) {
       }
     }
   }
-};
+}
 
 void System::draw_entities(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map, ftxui::Canvas &canvas, const Point &cam_orig, size_t view_x, size_t view_y) {
+  auto &lighting = game_map.lighting();
+
   world.query<Position, Tile>([&](const auto &ent, auto &pos, auto &tile) {
     if(pos.location.x >= cam_orig.x && pos.location.x <= cam_orig.x + view_x
         && pos.location.y >= cam_orig.y && pos.location.y <= cam_orig.y + view_y) {
       Point loc = game_map.map_to_camera(pos.location, cam_orig);
-      // the 2 and 4 are from ftxui::Canvas since it does a kind of "subpixel" drawing
+      int light_value = lighting[pos.location.y][pos.location.x];
 
-      // BUG: this color is a made up BS color for seeing entities until I can work on them
-      canvas.DrawText(loc.x*2, loc.y*4, tile.chr, Color::RGB(255, 50, 50));
+      // the 2 and 4 are from ftxui::Canvas since it does a kind of "subpixel" drawing
+      canvas.DrawText(loc.x*2, loc.y*4, tile.chr, [light_value](auto &pixel) {
+          pixel.foreground_color = Color::HSV(255, 200, light_value + 20);
+          pixel.background_color = Color::HSV(30, 20, light_value / 5);
+      });
     }
   });
 }
@@ -147,10 +167,10 @@ void System::draw_map(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map, ftxui::Canvas &canv
   const auto& config = world.get_the<MapConfig>();
   const auto& player = world.get_the<Player>();
   const auto& player_position = world.get<Position>(player.entity);
-  const auto& player_light = world.get<LightSource>(player.entity);
   Point start = game_map.center_camera(player_position.location, view_x, view_y);
   auto &walls = game_map.walls();
   auto &paths = game_map.paths();
+  auto &lighting = game_map.lighting();
 
   size_t end_x = std::min(view_x, game_map.width() - start.x);
   size_t end_y = std::min(view_y, game_map.height() - start.y);
@@ -158,25 +178,17 @@ void System::draw_map(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map, ftxui::Canvas &canv
   for(size_t x = 0; x < end_x; ++x) {
     for(size_t y = 0; y < end_y; ++y) {
       string tile = walls[start.y+y][start.x+x] == 1 ? config.WALL_TILE : config.FLOOR_TILE;
-      // the 2 and 4 are from ftxui::Canvas since it does a kind of "subpixel" drawing
-      // LIGHT: if tile is in light then color ++ otherwise --
-      // LIGHT: is put into the/a collision map and if a cell is a light's neighbor
-      // it gets brighter.
-      const int LIGHT_MIN = 10;
-      const int LIGHT_MAX = 110;
-
-      Point light_at{start.x+x, start.y+y};
-      int dnum = paths[light_at.y][light_at.x];
-      int light_value = std::clamp(255 - (dnum * player_light.strength), LIGHT_MIN, LIGHT_MAX);
-
       // "WALL_TILE": "\u2591",
       // "WALL_TILE": "\ua5b8",
+      int light_value = lighting[start.y+y][start.x+x];
+
       if(tile == config.WALL_TILE) {
         canvas.DrawText(x * 2, y * 4, config.WALL_TILE, [](auto &pixel) {
             pixel.foreground_color = Color::HSV(230, 20, 10);
             pixel.background_color = Color::HSV(230, 20, 30);
         });
       } else if(DEBUG_MAP) {
+        int dnum = paths[start.y+y][start.x+x];
         string num = format("{:x}", dnum);
         num = num.size() > 2 ? "*" : num;
 
diff --git a/systems.hpp b/systems.hpp
index 96ea011..5be0af9 100644
--- a/systems.hpp
+++ b/systems.hpp
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 using namespace components;
 
 namespace System {
+  void lighting(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map, Player &player);
   void motion(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &game_map);
   void collision(DinkyECS::World &world, Player &player);
   void death(DinkyECS::World &world);