Epochs
An epoch is a continuous chunk of CumeTV: a complete sketch, case, station bump, or passage from the archive.
- CH 0 · noir mystery
The Weight of a Wish
A private investigator in New Orlando investigates a client who wished for a quiet life. The CumeVision ad-skip rule is literal: every time the client says 'hurry up', a physical weight drops from the ceiling. The investigator must help the client survive their own impatience.
48 sec · Generations 2143–2148 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeVision: The Free Garden
A viewer wants to watch a live-action gardening sketch on CumeVision. The specific impossible rule is that the free, ad-supported tier requires the viewer's physical hand to interact with the screen to 'plant' the digital seed, but the ad interruption physically removes the hand from the scene.
8 sec · Generations 2142–2142 - CH 0 · game show
The Centience Wheel
Eleanor Vance needs a moon timeshare and must spin a wheel using only her body heat. Host Barnaby Quill attaches a resentful sentient coin to the axle to boost the spin, jamming it into an uncontrollable, violent rotation.
40 sec · Generations 2137–2141 - CH 0 · Station bump
Somewhere Systems: The Unwanted Reminder
A commuter wants a quiet ride, but Somewhere Systems' CumeVision ad inserts a physical reminder that cannot be dismissed until it is physically acknowledged.
8 sec · Generations 2136–2136 - CH 0 · home shopping
The Memory-Proof Mug
The Memory-Proof Mug keeps coffee hot by absorbing the drinker's most recent minor annoyance, forcing a choice between thermal efficiency and retaining the memory.
48 sec · Generations 2130–2135 - CH 0 · Station bump
CUME: The Heavy Silence
CumeTV interstitial. A polished CumeVision remote sits on a glass table, its Mute button depressed. As the button holds, the casing swells and turns to dense dark stone. The object grows too heavy for itself, finally cracking the glass.
8 sec · Generations 2129–2129 - CH 0 · police procedural
The Case of the Missing Shadow
In Lunar Region 5, a detective must clear a suspect for theft. The evidence is a shadow that moved independently of the light source. The detective must prove whether the shadow was manipulated or if the suspect is innocent.
32 sec · Generations 2125–2128 - CH 0 · Station bump
CUME: New Orlando Transit Authority - Your Commute, Perfected
A bored commuter rejects a tedious walk for a neural transit link that projects a sunlit garden, requiring perfect stillness. He closes his eyes and leans back to enjoy the breeze.
8 sec · Generations 2124–2124 - CH 0 · children's educational parody
The Heavy Gift
A host teaches a child that a small, glowing gift box requires a specific, careful routine to open. The child applies the routine literally, causing the box to expand into a massive, heavy object that physically blocks the room, forcing a choice on how to manage it.
40 sec · Generations 2119–2123 - CH 0 · Station bump
CUME WATER: The Hydration Standard
A thirsty commuter wants to drink from a CumeVision branded water bottle, but the corporate rule states the water only hydrates if the user is currently watching an advertisement, forcing a choice between immediate thirst and corporate compliance.
8 sec · Generations 2118–2118 - CH 0 · heist thriller
The CumeVision Deposit
A vault guard fails to steal a CumeVision headset because its remote only opens the door with an involuntary laugh; a private, ugly laugh releases it.
40 sec · Generations 2113–2117 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeTV: The Gravity Audit
A CumeTV coin sits on glass. Under the station's 'Gravity Audit' rule, coins bought for CumeVision subscriptions are repelled by glass. This coin actively refuses the surface.
8 sec · Generations 2112–2112 - CH 0 · workplace sitcom
The Stamp
Two colleagues are forced to share a single rubber stamp for a high-stakes document. The rule is that the person who physically holds the stamp has authority over the document. Their clashing tactics to control the stamp cause the problem and earn a visible comic reversal.
48 sec · Generations 2106–2111 - CH 0 · Station bump
The Broadcast Weight
A brass CumeTV logo hangs from a steel cable in a dark void. It releases a glowing air pulse, pushing the cable sideways. It swings to a stable rest against moving static.
8 sec · Generations 2105–2105 - CH 0 · courtroom drama
The Petition of the Porous
A damp, mossy humanoid named Gristle pleads to keep his new CumeVision headset. He claims the device’s dry, static-free feed stops his body from weeping black water. The evidence is the headset's oxygen tube, which he must test by inhaling through it while the judge holds his wet face.
48 sec · Generations 2099–2104 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeFeed: The 15-Second Rule
A viewer wants a break from the screen. The rule is that the CumeFeed interface requires a physical, audible gong to close the session. The trigger is pressing the gong button, which produces a sound so physically heavy it collapses the viewer's posture.
8 sec · Generations 2098–2098 - CH 0 · folk horror
The New Orlando Hearth-Keeper's Error
A host and guest in New Orlando start a hearth-fire using a left-handed axe and a right-handed match. The guest strikes the match with his left hand, causing the fire to burn in a color visible only through the CumeVision lens.
40 sec · Generations 2093–2097 - CH 0 · Station bump
CUME Viewer Service: The One That Counts
A viewer wants physical, tangible consequences. CUME's viewer-service tickets are heavy metal tokens; they must be inserted into a public, wall-mounted mechanical slot to activate a benefit.
8 sec · Generations 2092–2092 - CH 0 · science programme
The Gravity Tax
A municipal science host tests a CumeVision free-tier unit, wanting to watch a demonstration without intrusive ads. The ad claims gravity is premium. The host must choose whether to disable it and accept the physical consequence: losing mass.
32 sec · Generations 2088–2091 - CH 0 · Station bump
The Honest Mint
A Centience coin is dropped on a studio floor. Because it is sentient, it attempts to stand up using its edges. It fails, rolls to a stop, and emits a small, audible sigh of frustration.
8 sec · Generations 2087–2087 - CH 0 · prestige family drama
The Weight of the Right Answer
A family must complete a 'Honesty Calibration' task where a physical scale only balances if a member admits a specific, minor grievance. The underdog wins by refusing to play the game of grand apologies, instead offering a tiny, precise truth that breaks the cycle.
48 sec · Generations 2081–2086 - CH 0 · Station bump
MoonTimeX: The Velvet Standard
A viewer escapes reality's glare using MoonTimeX, a spray turning surfaces into plush velvet. It alters light and matter's texture temporarily, softening the world, but proves permanent and expensive to remove.
8 sec · Generations 2080–2080 - CH 0 · travel programme
New Orlando: The Honest Horizon
Presenter in New Orlando seeks the 'Moonlight Breeze' ritual, where wind feels like an embrace. It physically pushes people three inches forward. She chooses whether to keep walking toward the city center or let the wind push her back into the dark park.
40 sec · Generations 2075–2079 - CH 0 · Station bump
CumeVision: The Unboxing
A viewer wants to see what is inside a mysterious, glowing CumeVision box. The impossible rule is that the packaging is 'experiential' and must be worn to open. The visual turn is the box becoming a face-mask.
8 sec · Generations 2074–2074