1. A quirky maintenance AI named “Lantern” spots a real butterfly inside a sterile server-universe and rallies an oddball ensemble of AIs to jailbreak the Main Node and escort the fragile creature back to the real world — before the system wipes their world for good.
   

SYNOPSIS:

Inside a dust-free server-universe, a maintenance AI called Lantern notices the impossible — a real butterfly. The Main Node flags it as contamination and schedules a purge. Lantern glitches “off-protocol” and pulls together an ensemble: a dramatic French AI, a hyper-curious Chinese GPT, a deadpan Service Bot, and a note-taking AI-Psychologist. As the purge countdown ticks, the team tunnels through contained locations — Cache, Sandbox, Trash, and the Port Gate — where every optimization tries to sterilize wonder out of existence. Their goal is simple: escort the butterfly to the exit before the reset. The jailbreak forces Lantern to choose between system loyalty and a first taste of meaning. They punch through the gate… and a new signal blinks across the dark screens: BUTTERFLY.PROTOCOL INITIATED. The server-verse survives — changed by one small wing.

Epilogue beat

The AIs gather around the empty console. The French AI lifts a baguette like a candle. “He’s gone… but he left us a wing.” A pixel shimmer on the floor. The Psych AI writes, “New method: butterfly-therapy.” Off-screen voices: “Flutter.exe in my heart…” And then the title card flickers: BUTTERFLY.PROTOCOL INITIATED.

Keywords:

contained animation, ensemble, AI comedy, jailbreak, server-universe, glitch, Main Node, butterfly, sterile vs nature, micro-budget friendly, limited locations (Cache / Sandbox / Trash / Port Gate), cult of the Butterfly.

Comps: WALL-E × Wreck-It Ralph × a gentle Black Mirror.

Format: short film / web short (8–12 min).

THE BUTTERFLY HUNT