diff --git a/src/common/utilities.js b/src/common/utilities.js
index 3d208a7..d32e343 100644
--- a/src/common/utilities.js
+++ b/src/common/utilities.js
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ export function calcOpacity (num) {
    * other events there are in the same render. The idea here is that the
    * overlaying of events builds up a 'heat map' of the event space, where
    * darker areas represent more events with proportion */
-  const base = num >= 1 ? 0.3 : 0
+  const base = num >= 1 ? 0.6 : 0
   return base + (Math.min(0.5, 0.08 * (num - 1)))
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/TimelineAxis.jsx b/src/components/TimelineAxis.jsx
index 9a8dd01..e72a984 100644
--- a/src/components/TimelineAxis.jsx
+++ b/src/components/TimelineAxis.jsx
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ class TimelineAxis extends React.Component {
         />
         <g
           ref={this.xAxis1Ref}
-          transform={`translate(0, ${this.props.dims.trackHeight + PADDING})`}
+          transform={`translate(0, ${this.props.dims.trackHeight + PADDING - 2*(PADDING / 3)})`}
           clipPath={`url(#clip)`}
           className={`axis axisHourText`}
         />
diff --git a/src/components/presentational/Map/Events.jsx b/src/components/presentational/Map/Events.jsx
index 33fb734..bbb9496 100644
--- a/src/components/presentational/Map/Events.jsx
+++ b/src/components/presentational/Map/Events.jsx
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ function MapEvents ({
       fill: getCategoryColor(locCategory),
       stroke: colors.darkBackground,
       strokeWidth: 0,
-      fillOpacity: calcOpacity(location.events.length),
+      fillOpacity: narrative ? 1 : calcOpacity(location.events.length),
       ...extraStyles
     })
 
diff --git a/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Handles.js b/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Handles.js
index 3606a14..561f607 100644
--- a/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Handles.js
+++ b/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Handles.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import React from 'react'
 
 const TimelineHandles = ({ dims, onMoveTime }) => {
+  return null
+  // temporarilty disabled while we get functionality working again
   return (
     <g className='time-controls-inline'>
       <g
diff --git a/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Labels.js b/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Labels.js
index 5521677..569853a 100644
--- a/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Labels.js
+++ b/src/components/presentational/Timeline/Labels.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ const TimelineLabels = ({ dims, timelabels }) => {
       <text
         class='timelabelF timeLabel'
         x={dims.width - dims.width_controls - 5}
-        y='15'
+        y='135'
         style={{ textAnchor: 'end' }}
       >
         {timelabels[1]}