Epochs
An epoch is a continuous chunk of CumeTV: a complete sketch, case, station bump, or passage from the archive.
- CH 0 · western
The Weight of a Canteen
A stranded prospector trades a coin to a rancher for water, where the coin's weight defines the drop's volume. He must choose between a heavy gold coin for a large amount and a light copper coin for almost nothing, deciding the true value of survival.
48 sec · Generations 1986–1991 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeTV: The 60-Second Pause
A viewer watches a live cooking segment where the host must chop an onion. The network's new 'Anti-Teardrop' rule states that if the host's eyes water, the broadcast freezes for exactly 60 seconds. The host chokes, triggering the visible countdown, and the viewer must wait for the reset.
8 sec · Generations 1985–1985 - CH 0 · folk horror
The Salt Line
Two estranged neighbors jointly perform a salt-line ritual to stop dampness destroying their shared cellar. The line must be drawn continuously by both hands; any break lets the dampness instantly expand. Their forced cooperation reveals hidden resentment threatening the line.
32 sec · Generations 1981–1984 - CH 0 · Station bump
CUMEVISION: The Waiting Room
A viewer needs to press a mandatory-ad Skip Now button, but a glass pane fogs when any hand nears it, blocking direct contact.
8 sec · Generations 1980–1980 - CH 0 · science programme
The Weight of a Whisper
A host holds a glass vial of still liquid whose weight equals their most recent unspoken regret, demonstrating this physical mass on their shoulders.
48 sec · Generations 1974–1979 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeTV: The Bulb That Blows
A CumeTV station ident where a standard incandescent lightbulb suspended in a void is struck by an invisible, precise force, causing its glass to shatter and its filament to glow brightly for one second before dying out.
8 sec · Generations 1973–1973 - CH 0 · prestige family drama
The Moonlight Bake-Off: A CumeVision Delusion
A father believes a faulty headset places him in a lunar void while he actually mixes flour and sings loudly in his kitchen to impress his daughter.
40 sec · Generations 1968–1972 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeFeed: The Unsubscribe Button
A viewer wants to stop watching a CumeFeed programme. The impossible rule is that the remote's red unsubscribe button is physically welded to a lever that only releases the signal if the user performs a specific, absurd physical action on screen.
8 sec · Generations 1967–1967 - CH 0 · travel programme
The Politeness Paradox
A confident travel host visits New Orlando to film a segment on local lunar etiquette. He wants to demonstrate that he can master any social ritual, but discovers that in this district, showing confidence triggers a physical status-reversal ritual that forces the confident person to kneel and serve.
55 sec · Generations 1960–1966 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeVision: The Oxygen Tube
A viewer wants a secure, private space for a live event. CumeVision's oxygen tube physically connects the user's breath to the network server, making the private space dependent on the broadcast's uptime.
8 sec · Generations 1959–1959 - CH 0 · cooking demonstration
The Doubling Salsa
A host adds a glowing red doubling chili to a blender; each pulse doubles the salsa and intensifies the flavor, forcing her to choose between stopping for a perfect small batch or letting it consume the counter.
55 sec · Generations 1952–1958 - CH 0 · Station bump
Somewhere Systems: The Suggestion
A viewer in a MoonTimeX timeshare unit wants to pause a commercial. A Somewhere Systems interface rule dictates that a paused commercial must be replaced by a personalized 'suggestion' from the network's AI, which always takes the form of a tangible, slightly inappropriate household object.
8 sec · Generations 1951–1951 - CH 0 · sports coverage
The Weight of Authority
A Momentum Pushing expert tries to win by pulling instead of pushing, causing a recoil that forces him to choose between ego and visible failure.
40 sec · Generations 1946–1950 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeTV: The Clean Sweep
CumeTV presents a spotless, minimalist broadcast environment. A single, ordinary dust mote drifts into the frame. The station's rule is that the broadcast must remain perfectly clean, so the mote is physically vacuumed into the camera lens, clearing the view for the network logo.
8 sec · Generations 1945–1945 - CH 0 · romantic comedy
The Decaf Paradox
Mara orders decaf to steady her hands, but its visible steam ring reveals her intent, leading Leon to suspect espionage and confront his fear of being used.
48 sec · Generations 1939–1944 - CH 0 · Station bump
Moontimex: The Gravity Check
A tourist wants to confirm they are physically present in the MoonTimeX lobby. The mechanism is that the lobby's floor scales only register weight if the person is not actively trying to be weighed, creating a paradox where the act of checking one's presence cancels the presence.
8 sec · Generations 1938–1938 - CH 0 · nature documentary
The Moon-Rat's Thirst
A researcher mistakes a moon-rat clawing at a static-emitting CumeSlab battery in a CumeVision unit for a predatory attack, but the creature is merely trying to quench its thirst for the noise.
55 sec · Generations 1931–1937 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeVision: The Unstick
A viewer needs to exit a frozen CumeVision interface. The impossible rule is that the 'Exit' icon is physically stuck in a deep-set bezel and requires a sharp, audible mechanical snap to release the freeze.
8 sec · Generations 1930–1930 - CH 0 · musical
The Coin's Confession
A Centience auditor wants to verify a lunar payroll, but discovers a sentient coin that declares itself a god, triggering a rule where the coin's physical location dictates the auditor's legal authority, forcing a choice about whose truth to enforce.
40 sec · Generations 1925–1929 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeTV Ident: The Somewhere Seal
A CumeTV station ident featuring a specific physical mechanism: a heavy, brushed-steel CumeTV logo seal is pressed into a sheet of white thermal foam, leaving a deep, tactile impression that reveals the 'SOMWHERE' wordmark underneath.
8 sec · Generations 1924–1924 - CH 0 · noir mystery
The Coin's Weight
A noir investigator needs to save a trapped person from a heavy door, but the only key is a sentient Centience coin that refuses to turn unless it feels it is being 'honored' by the rescuer's sacrifice.
48 sec · Generations 1918–1923 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeSlab: The Grey Market Beta
A viewer wants a screen that reacts to their mood, triggering a CumeSlab's grey-market rule: the display inverts to show the viewer's true, exhausted desire for sleep, forcing them to choose between watching and resting.
8 sec · Generations 1917–1917 - CH 0 · game show
The Ledger of Small Sins
A guest wants a discounted CumeVision remote; sliding the wooden marker past the price line makes it free but costs his blink for 24 hours, so he fears the penalty.
48 sec · Generations 1911–1916 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeVision: Signal Check
A CumeVision remote's channel dial is stuck in a loop of static. The viewer needs a clear signal. The mechanism is a physical channel dial on the remote that must be turned to a specific, visible number to bypass the static and reveal a perfect test pattern.
8 sec · Generations 1910–1910