The Mighty Variants

This is a buddy love coming-of-age about Ike who is a twenty-two-year-old man with high functioning down syndrome who has one of them days where everything goes wrong, but the worst part is the look of disappointment his younger brother has after he spills gravy all over his new friend. Ike wants a way to show to everyone, including himself, that he can do something right and be the role model Jacob deserves. After reminiscing on the time he met his best friend Dalton (who has autism) and was speaking about the TV show “Robot Wars” he is stuck with the inspiration to finally follow his dream of creating his own white flipper robot with blue flames.

Ike is a perky and caring person who doesn't think twice, rushing headfirst into whatever comes into his imagination. His emotions can change in a snap if he is provoked in the wrong way. For example, a small snigger at his expense will make him alight with anger and sadness, however, with his age, he has learned to control this. He loves rock music and playing the drums. He never plans too far ahead, being content with the moment at hand. His learning difficulty means that some jobs and tasks are beyond his capabilities, but nothing is beyond his grasp when he applies his positive attitude. As a result, he now works at a Snack Bar and enjoys his time there.

Dalton is the pleasant opposite of Ike and the two blend together with their unique understanding and acceptance of each other. They are old friends made to fit together. Dalton's blunt comments can seem rude to other people, but Ike has a way of seeing their actual harmless meaning.

Dalton is an intelligent university student who studies for a maths degree online, loves documentaries by Professor Brian Cox, and collects New Scientist magazines. His love for science comes from his need and craving for order. He has a compulsion to have things in his life be in a certain order so that he can feel comfortable. This leads him to live a somewhat introverted lifestyle, preferring the indoors over the outdoors. He is nervous around loud spaces, bright lights, and new environments, although he can feel at ease whenever he is around Ike.

After Ike passes the first hurdle of persuading Dalton to join him on his quest, the pair must save money by taking up odd jobs and extra shifts. Meanwhile, they attend local events to see what makes a winning robot tick where they strike a rivalry with No Mercy; a one-man team led by an arrogant university student wielding the meanest robot around with the sharpest pincers and saw.

Before long, they are ready to build their flipper robot in Dalton’s garage. After training their robot they experience their first taste of battle as they fight in the qualifiers where the diversity of robot designs is as diverse as their creators. Some wield axes, some fight with brute force, others hit with the force of a two-ton hammer, and one even wears a medieval knight's helmet for protection. The Mighty Variant makes its way to the final where it losses to an opponent who has been edged on by their rivals No Mercy. However, The Mighty Variant is crowned winner and through to the finals when it is discovered that their opponent cheated by removing a restriction bolt giving their weapon more power.

In the meantime, Ike begins dating a free-spirited young woman named Lola, and Dalton prepares for his upcoming move to on-campus living for his final year at university that he is yet to inform Ike of due to fear of breaking their friendship apart. After fighting their way through the live televised finals competition, emotions, tensions, and feuds reach boiling point as everything is put on the line in the final matchup between The Mighty Variants and No Mercy.