Techrat/Minx (Jem and the Holograms)
Title: High Tech Just Turns Me On: Techrat/Minx from Jem and the Holograms
Author: dunmurderin
Spoilers: Some minor spoilers for Season 1-3 of Jem and the Holograms.
Email: dunmurderin (at) yahoo.com
High Tech Just Turns Me On:
Techrat/Minx from Jem and the Holograms
Introduction: Jem and the Holograms (JEM) was an animated series that aired between 1985-1988. Like its brother series, GI Joe and Transformers, JEM was created by Hasbro in conjunction with Marvel Comics and Sunbow Productions as a way to help market the corresponding toy line. The animation work for all three series was done by the Japanese company Toei Doga (now Toei Productions).
The action in JEM centered around the adventures of two (later three) rock bands. The titular Jem and the Holograms were the designated good guys of the series. The band was led by Jerrica Benton, in disguise as Jem, and was made up of Jerrica’s sisters, both biological (Kimber Benton) and foster (Aja Leith, Shana Elmsford). Jerrica created the Jem alter ego using a highly sophisticated supercomputer called Synergy that had been created by her inventor father, Emmett Benton to be the ultimate entertainment synthesizer.
One of the main plot points of the series centers around Jerrica trying to keep her Jem identity a secret from everyone other than her band mates (and a few other incidental characters who happen to find out over the course of the series). Because Synergy can generate highly sophisticated holograms, it’s possible for Jerrica and Jem to be in two places at once -- but that doesn’t make the ruse an easy thing. Particularly considering that Jerrica, Jem and the band’s road manager Rio Pacheco are involved in a Lois Lane/Superman/Clark Kent kind of love triangle -- except that Rio likes Jem and Jerrica almost equally.
Opposing Jem/Jerrica and the rest of the Holograms are the Misfits, an all-girl punk band fronted by spoiled little rich girl Pizazz and comprised of Roxy, Stormer and in later episodes Jetta. Pizazz dislikes the Holograms -- as a group and individually -- considering them to be goody-goody and not as talented as she and the Misfits are. The group is managed by Eric Raymond, a ruthless conniver who also has it in for Jerrica (and by extension Jem) -- in part because she cost him his job as CEO of Starlight Music. Most of the episodes center around the Misfits trying to upstage or interfere with the Holograms’ latest exploit.
In the third season, a new band called the Stingers is introduced. Unlike the Misfits or the Holograms, the Stingers are a mixed trio -- two women (Minx and Rapture) and a man (Riot). Like the Misfits, the Stingers are cast as the show’s bad guys, but in a move unique for the time period, neither group is cast as 100% irredeemably evil. In fact, all of the characters in JEM including the quote-unquote villains, have multiple facets to their personalities and many characters undergo a process of change throughout the series. Unlike GI Joe or Transformers, where characters’ personalities and alliances are more or less locked in by the requirements of the toyline, characters and even the status quo can change in JEM.
Case in point: Stormer and Kimber leave their respective bands in one episode (The Bands Break Up, episode #31) and team up with each other. They end up becoming friends and, even though they end up back in their home bands they remain friendly with each other over the course of the series. Compare this to other good guy/bad guy team ups in other shows of the period where any friendly feeling usually ends the minute the episode is over and is never mentioned again.
In GI Joe and Transformers’ defense, it is easier for characters in JEM to change, since they’re musicians, not soldiers. If Stormer and Kimber become friends, it might put a strain on the other bands, but no state secrets are in danger of being revealed and nobody’s breaking any fraternization regulations.
For it’s time period, JEM was a highly sophisticated show where character change and on-going storylines were important. For this reason, it is generally safe to assume that if something happens to a character in JEM, it happens for a reason.
Character Appearances:
Techrat Appearances:
Character Profiles:
TECHRAT (No canonical real name given):
Techrat first appears in the two-part episode “The Music Awards" having been brought in by Eric Raymond as a secret weapon against Starlight Music. Techrat is, in effect, the Misfits’ answer to Synergy, since the character was created to give them a technological leg up. As such, he replaces Eric’s previous henchman, a character named Zipper, who was more or less your generic thug/strong arm.
There are two simple rules for dealing with Techrat: Don’t touch him and don’t touch his stuff (with the added corollary of don’t mess with the guy at the controls). He is loathe to be touched by anybody, with one exception which we’ll get to in a bit.
Like most scientific/technologically inclined characters in modern media, Techrat’s genius is scattershot and his abilities tend to fit the situation as required. Over the course of the series, he builds everything from relatively simple devices, like a miniature radio transmitter/receiver to more complicated devices like a flying ‘UFO-like” stage to the incredibly, belief-stretchingly complex such as a fully functional time machine. In one episode, Techrat’s main contribution is using his computer system to look up answers for a trivia contest -- that’s right, he’s so l33t, he had Google Fu before there was a Google.
Techrat starts off as a rather quiet and almost timid character. In “The Music Awards,” he’s soft-spoken and seems rather distracted as if he’s not used to being around people much. Over the course of his appearances, he loosens up somewhat and becomes more likely to snark at both Eric and the Misfits if they annoy him -- especially Pizazz, whom he has a mutual dislike for. This is in keeping with JEM’s tendency to allow characters to grow and mature over time.
But while Techrat comes out of his shell, he never loses his dislike of being touched or of having his devices touched. The character appears in seven episodes (including 2 two-part episodes) and in nearly every appearance he reacts with varying degrees of upset when he or his gadgets are touched. It doesn’t seem to matter if the person doing/threatening the touching is a child (The Music Awards, part two), an adult woman (numerous occasions) or an adult male (Trick or Techrat; The Treasure Hunt). There are only three exceptions to this rule:
1. In the second half of “The Music Awards,” Eric Raymond grabs Techrat by the lapels of his jacket and pulls him forward. The reason for this is that Techrat has given Pizazz a laser gun to test and Eric is understandably dismayed that Techrat would trust Pizazz, who has the impulse control of, well, a spoiled little punk diva, with such a device. It’s possible that here, Techrat isn’t freaking out because Eric is already freaking out enough for the both of them.
2. In “Journey to Shangri-La,” Techrat doesn’t have to worry about being touched at all since he’s alone in his lab (called “The Rat Hole” by series creator Christy Marx, though it’s never called this within the series as far as I can tell) and only talks to Eric by speaker phone. This is the first episode where he calls Eric “Eric” instead of “Mr. Raymond.” It’s also possibly the character’s happiest moment in the entire series.
3. In “That Old Houdini Magic” Techrat is visited (or possibly hired) by Minx and Rapture of the Stingers to help Rapture rig some stage illusions so that she can make it appear as if she were channeling Houdini’s ghost. Over the course of Techrat’s demonstration of the device he’s created (a modified Chinese Water Torture Cell), Techrat not only allows Minx to touch him but he also touches her in return and seems very happy about her presence in his lab. It is this scene which forms the largest part of the evidence for this ship.
The series never explains exactly why Techrat doesn’t like to be touched. He's not made out to be a germaphobe. He doesn't get any sort of backstory about emotional trauma in his past. And he doesn’t really seem to be afraid of people so much as he just seems to dislike them in general and, perhaps, the Misfits in particular. Generally, his reaction to being touched is more angry/tempermental genius than scared.
Techrat is clearly shown to like gadgets a lot more than people, even to the point of being more concerned about the damage done to his ‘beautiful’ inventions (he describes three separate inventions/gadgets as beautiful) than to the people who might potentially have been injured by them. He’s repeatedly shown to be a highly intelligent person and he doesn’t lack for self-confidence especially where his inventions are concerned. He’s also got a temper on him, one that can border on violent if he’s pushed far enough.
Also, oddly enough, he’s one of the rare ‘nerdy’ characters in TV who doesn’t look like a stereotypical nerd -- he doesn’t wear glasses, he’s actually fairly good-looking and he’s got a very punk/New Wave sense of style. Though, the last two could also be chalked up to the fact that JEM was based off a line of Barbie-style fashion dolls and no character in the series is really all that unattractive or unfashionably dressed -- they are mostly music industry professionals, after all.
It’s also interesting to note that Christy Marx, who created the series for Hasbro -- writing not only the series bible but also 22 of the 65 episodes, originally conceived of Techrat as an androgynous character ala Boy George.
[W]e needed another villainous type, so I came up with Techrat. My original idea for him was along the lines of a Boy George gone wrong. He was supposed to be a completely androgenous [sic] character with the viewer unable to determine if he was male or female. That got squashed in a hurry. They simply weren't going to deal with a concept that...ummm...controversial. Not to mention how to cast the voice. (Truly Outrageous JEM Mailing List v.1 #12, July 2, 1996)
Techrat ended up being cast as a male character (voiced by Charles Adler, who also voiced Eric Raymond and Zipper as well as several incidental male voices in the series) though he did retain a few androgynous traits, particularly long, thin, fingers that make him look like a pianist when he types and a face that can at times be downright pretty.
All in all, Techrat is an eccentric genius with a truly nasty streak, which is why I think he’d be perfect for:
Ingrid “MINX” Krueger: Minx is the Stinger’s synthesizer player. She’s from West Germany where she met up with Rory “Riot” Llewelyn and Phoebe “Rapture” Ashe. Like Techrat, Minx is a highly intelligent technological whiz kid with a very large bump of self-centered egomania. She is capable of designing and building her own synthesizers (and has been doing so since she was fourteen), installing burglar alarms, and rewiring broken fuse boxes -- though whether or not she’ll do these things depends on her mood at the time.
Minx is a shameless and often predatory flirt. When she’s told that Rio is dating Jerrica and Jem she is delighted at the prospect of stealing him from two women (“The Stingers Hit Town“). In a later episode, she seems rather neutral on the subject of Rio -- until Rapture suggests that Minx can’t make him hers, to which Minx replies that she can have any man she wants.
Like her fellow Stingers, she sees nothing wrong with lying, cheating or committing fraud to accomplish her ends. She cares little for the feelings of others, whether it’s insulting the artistic abilities of a twelve year old child or helping Rapture to hoodwink the love-struck Pizazz into performing a highly degrading ‘love spell’ to try and win over Riot. (“The Stingers Hit Town”)
In many ways, the Stingers are the nastier of the two ‘bad guy’ bands in the series -- and Minx fits right in. In the Stinger’s introductory episode, she flirts with Eric Raymond in an effort to help the band get in good with his record label -- while Riot flirts with Jerrica Benton for the same reason. She later drops Eric like a hot rock because he’s outlived his usefulness and then, while standing next to Eric, makes plans to try and steal Rio from Jerrica/Jem. Minx is, in no uncertain terms, a grade-A bitch, a fact which is emphasized in the episode “Change of Heart” where she tries to be nice after Rio rescues her from drowning.
The “nice” Minx ends up being a bigger pain in the ass and potentially more destructive than the “nasty” Minx ever was. She “helps” Rio build a synthesizer by essentially doing the work herself and angering him since he was building one to learn how to do it. She buys the Starlight Girls (foster girls being cared for by Jem and the Holograms) toys and candy which end up causing a mess and giving at least two girls a bellyache from stuffing themselves. She ‘kindly’ takes Jerrica out for a makeover because Minx is convinced that she is now dating Rio so she’s going to help Jerrica find a new boyfriend. She buys and installs a new alarm system in the Starlight House that works so well that the Holograms can’t open a window without setting off a klaxon better suited to Ft. Knox than a house.
What’s even more telling about her character is when Minx overhears Rio, Jerrica and the Holograms talking about how frustrating Minx’s kind gestures are. Immediately, Minx does a complete 180 and reverts back to her old ways, throwing a full-on tantrum in the process. She goes to the roof of Starlight House and smashes the keyboard she built for Rio on the ground, then proceeds to throw paint on the Holograms and then, as the piece de resistance, refuses to help out her own band and fix a broken fuse box at one of their own concerts because she’s done being nice:
RIOT: What’s the meaning of this?
CLUB OWNER (presumably): The whole fuse box is blown and my electrician is out sick
RAPTURE: Is that all? Minx can fix that in a jiffy
RIOT: Minx, we need your help over here for a moment
MINX: Help? (asked as crowd is becoming unruly in the background because the band is on stage and not performing)
RAPTURE: so we can finish the concert
MINX: Sorry, the word help isn’t in my vocabulary!
The Stingers’ nastiness does actually makes sense considering that they had to struggle up from nothing to reach their current levels of fame and success. The Stingers didn’t have their own record company (like the Holograms, who‘s parents owned Starlight Music) or a father who would buy them their record company (like the Misfits; Pizazz’s father buys her Misfits Music simply to shut Pizazz up).
Canon Evidence: The most convincing evidence in favor of Techrat and Minx as a pairing comes in the episode “That Old Houdini Magic.” The episode marks Techrat’s last appearance and is the only time the characters are shown together. So, let’s take a look at it:
The plot of “That Old Houdini Magic” revolves around Rapture convincing a wealthy older woman that she is channeling the spirit of Houdini. The purpose of this is to convince the woman to allow the Stingers to perform at a benefit concert she is holding and also to bilk the old woman out of a bunch of money. Jem and the Holograms, along with stage magician Astral, try unsuccessfully to convince the woman of Rapture’s fraud. Astral challenges Rapture to a duel of magic in order to try and expose her. This leads to Minx and Rapture showing up at Techrat’s place:
The scene in question opens on Rapture who is wrapped up in a straight jacket. She’s struggling to free herself. The straight jacket has two large pink ribbons, one on either shoulder.
RAPTURE: How do I get out of this thing?!
Techrat is standing nearby, with his back to Rapture while he works on a device. He seems entirely unconcerned about her distress and uninterested in her presence.
TECHRAT: Simple, pull the pink ribbon (sounds bored)
RAPTURE: (sounds annoyed) With what? My teeth?
TECHRAT: What else?
RAPTURE: Oh!
As Rapture does as she’s told, Minx walks into the room and over to Techrat. She leans against him to look over his shoulder, her hand on his lower back. Techrat does not flinch or otherwise look up from what he is doing.
MINX: (flirty) Is that for me?
TECHRAT: ‘Specially for you.
MINX: Oh! (sounds happy)
It’s at this point that Minx hugs Techrat - it’s one of those from behind hugs and she doesn’t lean entirely into it, but she does make a happy little noise and again, Techrat doesn’t say anything about being touched.
Rapture frees herself from the straightjacket which falls to the floor (listening to this without looking at the screen makes for raised eyebrows when what you hear is Minx’s happy little “Oh!” and then the sound of cloth sliding to the floor)
RAPTURE: It works!
TECHRAT: Of course it works! My gadgets always work!
Techrat then buckles the gadget he’s been working on -- a gold bracelet covered in large rhinestones of various colors around Minx’s wrist. Taking her by the hand, he walks her over to a large metal and glass box.
TECHRAT: Now! Behold! The ultimate illusion, the Chinese Water Torture Cell!
MINX: Hey! Look at all these neat [dots]. *word usage is unclear; could be ’duds or ’studs’.
Minx presses the studs on her bracelet, causing the top of the CWTC to lift off, move over to the side and pick up Rapture.
RAPTURE: Hey, I’m not getting into that thi-[word cut off by her shriek as cell picks her up and raises her up over the tank. Which is now full of water.]
Minx and Techrat stare at the now upside-down Rapture for a moment or two and there’s a cut to show how Rapture’s feet are securely held in place by a pair of cuffs at the top of the cell.
MINX: How do you do that? (awed)
TECHRAT: I didn’t! You did! Each rhinestone is a control stud which activates the locks and hinges on the lid of the tank
Techrat turns to explain to Minx how the bracelet works; he stands facing her and takes her hand in his, pushing buttons with his free hand as he and Minx cease paying attention to Rapture -- who ends up being dunked repeatedly as the lid of the tank goes up and down.
Again, Techrat seems to have no qualms about touching Minx and as seems to be usual for him, no real concern about the safety of the person using one of his inventions. In addition, Minx shows little or no concern for the safety of her band mate and supposed friend.
TECHRAT: After the curtain is placed over the tank, push this red one here.
Rapture screams as the anklets release her into the water.
TECHRAT: And Rapture is automatically released.
MINX: Don’t worry Rapture!
Rapture pulls herself to the top of the tank, panting.
MINX: (laughs) I have it all under control!
RAPTURE: (sounding frazzled) Just make sure that tonight you push that button the second they put the cover over this tank otherwise I’ll REALLY get a message from beyond.
In addition to demonstrating that Techrat can, for reasons never fully explained, tolerate it when Minx touches him, this scene also demonstrates for me just how perfectly suited Minx and Techrat are for each other.
Both characters have an interest in gadgets: Even though we don’t find out that Minx is something of a technological whiz herself until “Change of Heart,” two episodes later, Minx is clearly interested in what Techrat is making and seems enthralled by the device’s abilities. Techrat's interest in gadgets is demonstrated throughout the series, since that's his entire bit.
Both characters have fairly one-track minds: Again, the whole dunking Rapture like she’s a Krispy Kreme thing and Minx’s blasé attitude to the half-drown Rapture crawling out of the tank. Separately, both Minx and Techrat also show a tendency toward single-mindedness. In “Change of Heart,” a lot of the chaos Minx causes for Rio, Jerrica and the Holograms and Starlight Girls comes from her insistence on doing what she thinks is best for them regardless of how the others feel or the consequences for her actions. On at least three occasions, Techrat’s first thought when one of his inventions is destroyed is concern about the damaged device. This includes a scene in "The Music Awards" where Pizazz crash-lands a hang-glider and Techrat's only concern is the fact that she broke the laser pistol he'd let her test for him.
Both characters honestly do seem to have some kind of an attraction for each other: Techrat is allowing Minx to not just touch him but hug him and he touches her in return. His voice during this scene is relaxed and calm and a bit flirty in return -- in contrast to his tendency in other episodes to snap at people at the slightest provocation. In “The Jem Jam,” for example, he yells at Pizazz simply for attempting to lightly touch his arm. For her part, Minx seems genuinely interested in what Techrat’s doing and in the device he creates. She’s not just after a gimmick from him like Eric or the Misfits usually are.
She certainly wants something from him, but she doesn’t act like she’s just buttering him up -- something she had no qualms about doing with Eric or Rio in other episodes. And if she was, chances are good Techrat wouldn’t have responded to it. He didn’t when Pizazz tried to suck up to him in ’The Jem Jam’ and he’s not exactly a stranger to being in the company of beautiful, famous women. Also, if all Minx wanted was for him to make her a gimmick, she could probably have bought his help. Techrat works for money, after all.
It’s interesting that Minx and Techrat already seem to be familiar with each other during “That Old Houdini Magic” -- considering that Techrat’s last appearance before this was in episode #49, “Journey Through Time” and Minx doesn’t appear until episode 54-55 “The Stingers Hit Town, parts one and two), six episodes prior to TOHM, there is a gap where they could have met each other -- potentially through Eric Raymond.
Further confirmation, of a sort, also comes in episode #63, “Change of Heart” which takes place two episodes after “That Old Houdini Magic”: The Stingers are at an electronics trade show, shopping for equipment. Riot leaves, having gotten bored, and when Rapture spots Rio Pacheco, also shopping for equipment, she points him out to Minx:
RAPTURE: Minx look who’s here (points to Rio)
MINX: Rio, who needs him (sounds miffed)
RAPTURE: So you’ve given up?
MINX: What do you mean given up? (sounds angry)
RAPTURE: Well after all he is the only man you haven’t been able to hook
MINX: I can get any man!
Those two lines, while perhaps not necessarily outright confirmation that Minx and Techrat had a ‘thing‘, is at least an added bit of evidence that the possibility could have existed. If Minx can get any man she wants and if Rio is the only man she hasn‘t been able to hook, then chances are high that Minx hooked Techrat.
There’s also another bit of semi-canonical evidence in favor of this pairing. Christy Marx, who created the series for Hasbro and who developed the character bios and relationships for the series was asked once about the possibility of a pairing between the two. This is what she said:
>1. In "That Old Houdini Magic" Minx touches Tech Rat and he
>doesn't freak out. He even holds her hand. Was there something
>going on there or did Tech Rat just mello out?
CHRISTY SEZ: I did have something in mind for developing a relationship between Minx and Techrat. (Truly Outrageous! JEM Mailing List, V.2 #50, October 5, 1997 )
Unfortunately, the series didn’t continue beyond episode 65 so what might of happened between these two is left to the hands of fanfic writers.
Why Ship This Pairing?:
Short Answer: Because they’re adorable! And because I’d like to read fics I haven’t written!
Longer Answer: Because I love the sheer oddity of these two. They’re not like other couples in the show, particularly in that we never see exactly how they came to know each other. There’s not a long story arc showing how it is that Minx and Techrat met and managed to hit it off. They have no history together in the show other than the scene in “That Old Houdini Magic” and we never see them together again, because the show ends four episodes later.
Essentially, this is the JEM pairing that never was and the possibilities of how they met and how they managed to come together intrigues me. However it happened, chances are things weren’t simple for Techrat and Minx and the very lack of simplicity makes me want to poke around at this idea and see what happens.
Of course, considering what we’re shown of the characters I don’t think this is a pairing that would actually last very long, particularly since given a choice between her loyalties to the Stingers and anyone else, Minx does invariably choose to stick with her band mates -- she even describes Riot as her 'guru' and 'inspiration' the 'nucleus around which the world revolves' (The Day the Music Died). Their relationship doesn't seem to be a romantic one, but Riot in particular and the Stingers in general, are where Minx's first loyalties lie.
But even without the Stingers in the equation, neither Techrat nor Minx seem the type to settle down and grow old together -- which does fly in the face of conventional fannish wisdom that True Love Lasts Forever.
Still, it could be a wild ride while it lasts.
You buy one VHS tape, or How I came to find this pairing:
One of my favorite plays is “You Can‘t Take It With You“ which is about a family of absolutely mad, peculiar free spirits and their down-to-earth daughter who is trying to marry the son of a banker. At one point, the fiancé tries to allay the daughter‘s fears about her odd-ball family, telling her that all families have quirks -- his mother's a spiritualist and his father collects orchids. The daughter counters with my favorite line in the whole play:
“You don’t understand, your mother believes in spiritualism because it’s fashionable; your father collects orchids because he can afford to. My mother -- my mother writes plays because eight years ago a typewriter was delivered here by mistake!” (paraphrased from memory)
Essentially, I’ve started writing fanfic for Jem and the Holograms, because on the way back from my mom’s house my girlfriend and I stopped at the Castleton Half Price Books in Indianapolis and bought a JEM VHS tape, which led to me looking up episodes on YouTube which led to me finding out about the character of Techrat which led to me developing a new favorite character.
Techrat/Minx attracted me because, as I’ve said, it seems to come out of nowhere. There is no set up for it -- or, possibly more correctly, what we were shown in “That Old Houdini Magic” was the set up for it and we never got to see the continuation. These kinds of ‘what ifs’ and ‘why thats’ are a huge part of the way I get attracted to writing about particular characters and situations. Particularly when one of the characters is as much of an oddball as Techrat is -- not that Minx is any less odd, in her own way.
My concept for the pairing: What I think draws Minx and Techrat together is the fact that both of them are stuck in a world that doesn’t quite understand them. Minx is a beautiful and smart woman who, like many women with ‘manly’ interests in science and technology has probably faced surprise and even outright hostility from men and women who expect her to be either pretty or smart, not both.
Not to mention that there is a certain population of men who expect any woman, no matter how smart, to be not quite as knowledgeable about ‘manly things’ as a man can be. There are examples of this throughout our society -- from the teacher who thinks girls can’t handle higher math to the mechanic who thinks he can cheat a female customer to the clerk at Best Buy who offers to help female customers shop for electronics. Chances are, Minx has long ago learned to go along and get along and play the game of being silly and pretty and that she would relish attention from someone who would see her as a true equal.
For Techrat’s part, he does not like to be touched. While this is difficult in and of itself, it gets harder when faced with members of the opposite (or same) sex who feel that this aversion is something that can be fixed by the love of the right woman (or man) and of course the right man (or woman) is them! Or, even among those not quite so narcissistic, there are the constant questions about his sex life -- are you gay? (potentially dangerous, considering the time period) Are you a virgin? Why don’t you like to be touched? What happened to you? And on and on and on.
For Techrat, Minx is someone who very likely doesn’t care about why he doesn’t like to be touched by other people -- he doesn’t mind that she touches him and that’s fine by her. She’s so busy talking to him about circuits and keyboards and custom building microchips that sex a low priority, if it happens at all.
As I said earlier, I don’t see this as a pairing with a lot of sticking power. I described it to a friend as not so much a case of “Mr. and Mrs. Right” but “Mr. and Mrs. Right Now” or even “Mr. and Mrs. While It Lasts.” Neither Minx nor Techrat seem the type to be celebrating their 50th anniversary together while the grandkids play on the lawn and their children look upon them with adoring eyes.
But again, it could be a wild ride while it lasts. And heck, I could be wrong.
I’ll admit that this could be seen as a rather sad and cynical ending for this pairing but in my opinion it’s an ending that would make sense and remain true to the characters. Instead of forcing Techrat and Minx into what would, again in my opinion, be an out of character and stereotypical Happily Ever After, I’d rather see them as friends -- possibly as friends with benefits.
Fandom Guide:
Fanfic Sources: Unfortunately, this is a pairing with a very, very small fandom following. In searching the internet, the closest I’ve come to finding a Techrat/Minx fic that I didn’t write is one fic with a line about Minx leaving Rapture alone because Techrat called her about a circuit board. Otherwise, many fans either simply do not write about the characters (Techrat is a relatively minor character and most fics involving the Stingers tend to focus around Riot due to his romantic interest in Jem).
I have written two fics about Techrat and Minx that are about the early stages of their relationship. These are “First Impressions” and “Something to Go On” -- both of which are available at FF.Net, in the JEM section.
Sources: -- General sources of information about JEM as a series.
Author: dunmurderin
Spoilers: Some minor spoilers for Season 1-3 of Jem and the Holograms.
Email: dunmurderin (at) yahoo.com
High Tech Just Turns Me On:
Techrat/Minx from Jem and the Holograms
Introduction: Jem and the Holograms (JEM) was an animated series that aired between 1985-1988. Like its brother series, GI Joe and Transformers, JEM was created by Hasbro in conjunction with Marvel Comics and Sunbow Productions as a way to help market the corresponding toy line. The animation work for all three series was done by the Japanese company Toei Doga (now Toei Productions).
The action in JEM centered around the adventures of two (later three) rock bands. The titular Jem and the Holograms were the designated good guys of the series. The band was led by Jerrica Benton, in disguise as Jem, and was made up of Jerrica’s sisters, both biological (Kimber Benton) and foster (Aja Leith, Shana Elmsford). Jerrica created the Jem alter ego using a highly sophisticated supercomputer called Synergy that had been created by her inventor father, Emmett Benton to be the ultimate entertainment synthesizer.
One of the main plot points of the series centers around Jerrica trying to keep her Jem identity a secret from everyone other than her band mates (and a few other incidental characters who happen to find out over the course of the series). Because Synergy can generate highly sophisticated holograms, it’s possible for Jerrica and Jem to be in two places at once -- but that doesn’t make the ruse an easy thing. Particularly considering that Jerrica, Jem and the band’s road manager Rio Pacheco are involved in a Lois Lane/Superman/Clark Kent kind of love triangle -- except that Rio likes Jem and Jerrica almost equally.
Opposing Jem/Jerrica and the rest of the Holograms are the Misfits, an all-girl punk band fronted by spoiled little rich girl Pizazz and comprised of Roxy, Stormer and in later episodes Jetta. Pizazz dislikes the Holograms -- as a group and individually -- considering them to be goody-goody and not as talented as she and the Misfits are. The group is managed by Eric Raymond, a ruthless conniver who also has it in for Jerrica (and by extension Jem) -- in part because she cost him his job as CEO of Starlight Music. Most of the episodes center around the Misfits trying to upstage or interfere with the Holograms’ latest exploit.
In the third season, a new band called the Stingers is introduced. Unlike the Misfits or the Holograms, the Stingers are a mixed trio -- two women (Minx and Rapture) and a man (Riot). Like the Misfits, the Stingers are cast as the show’s bad guys, but in a move unique for the time period, neither group is cast as 100% irredeemably evil. In fact, all of the characters in JEM including the quote-unquote villains, have multiple facets to their personalities and many characters undergo a process of change throughout the series. Unlike GI Joe or Transformers, where characters’ personalities and alliances are more or less locked in by the requirements of the toyline, characters and even the status quo can change in JEM.
Case in point: Stormer and Kimber leave their respective bands in one episode (The Bands Break Up, episode #31) and team up with each other. They end up becoming friends and, even though they end up back in their home bands they remain friendly with each other over the course of the series. Compare this to other good guy/bad guy team ups in other shows of the period where any friendly feeling usually ends the minute the episode is over and is never mentioned again.
In GI Joe and Transformers’ defense, it is easier for characters in JEM to change, since they’re musicians, not soldiers. If Stormer and Kimber become friends, it might put a strain on the other bands, but no state secrets are in danger of being revealed and nobody’s breaking any fraternization regulations.
For it’s time period, JEM was a highly sophisticated show where character change and on-going storylines were important. For this reason, it is generally safe to assume that if something happens to a character in JEM, it happens for a reason.
Character Appearances:
Techrat Appearances:
- The Music Awards, Parts 1&2 (episodes 13-14)
- The Jem Jam, Parts 1&2 (episodes 23-24)
- The Treasure Hunt (episode 34)
- Trick or Techrat (episode 42)
- Journey to Shangri-La (episode 48)
- Journey Through Time (episode 49)
- That Ol’ Houdini Magic (episode 61)
- The Stingers Hit Town, Parts 1&2 (episodes 54-55)
- Midsummer Night’s Madness (episode 59)
- The Day the Music Died (episode 60)
- That Ol’ Houdini Magic (episode 61)
- Straight from the Heart (episode 62)
- A Change of Heart (episode 63)
- Riot’s Hope (episode 64)
- A Father Should Be (episode 65; series finale)
Character Profiles:
TECHRAT (No canonical real name given):
Techrat first appears in the two-part episode “The Music Awards" having been brought in by Eric Raymond as a secret weapon against Starlight Music. Techrat is, in effect, the Misfits’ answer to Synergy, since the character was created to give them a technological leg up. As such, he replaces Eric’s previous henchman, a character named Zipper, who was more or less your generic thug/strong arm.
There are two simple rules for dealing with Techrat: Don’t touch him and don’t touch his stuff (with the added corollary of don’t mess with the guy at the controls). He is loathe to be touched by anybody, with one exception which we’ll get to in a bit.
Like most scientific/technologically inclined characters in modern media, Techrat’s genius is scattershot and his abilities tend to fit the situation as required. Over the course of the series, he builds everything from relatively simple devices, like a miniature radio transmitter/receiver to more complicated devices like a flying ‘UFO-like” stage to the incredibly, belief-stretchingly complex such as a fully functional time machine. In one episode, Techrat’s main contribution is using his computer system to look up answers for a trivia contest -- that’s right, he’s so l33t, he had Google Fu before there was a Google.
Techrat starts off as a rather quiet and almost timid character. In “The Music Awards,” he’s soft-spoken and seems rather distracted as if he’s not used to being around people much. Over the course of his appearances, he loosens up somewhat and becomes more likely to snark at both Eric and the Misfits if they annoy him -- especially Pizazz, whom he has a mutual dislike for. This is in keeping with JEM’s tendency to allow characters to grow and mature over time.
But while Techrat comes out of his shell, he never loses his dislike of being touched or of having his devices touched. The character appears in seven episodes (including 2 two-part episodes) and in nearly every appearance he reacts with varying degrees of upset when he or his gadgets are touched. It doesn’t seem to matter if the person doing/threatening the touching is a child (The Music Awards, part two), an adult woman (numerous occasions) or an adult male (Trick or Techrat; The Treasure Hunt). There are only three exceptions to this rule:
1. In the second half of “The Music Awards,” Eric Raymond grabs Techrat by the lapels of his jacket and pulls him forward. The reason for this is that Techrat has given Pizazz a laser gun to test and Eric is understandably dismayed that Techrat would trust Pizazz, who has the impulse control of, well, a spoiled little punk diva, with such a device. It’s possible that here, Techrat isn’t freaking out because Eric is already freaking out enough for the both of them.
2. In “Journey to Shangri-La,” Techrat doesn’t have to worry about being touched at all since he’s alone in his lab (called “The Rat Hole” by series creator Christy Marx, though it’s never called this within the series as far as I can tell) and only talks to Eric by speaker phone. This is the first episode where he calls Eric “Eric” instead of “Mr. Raymond.” It’s also possibly the character’s happiest moment in the entire series.
3. In “That Old Houdini Magic” Techrat is visited (or possibly hired) by Minx and Rapture of the Stingers to help Rapture rig some stage illusions so that she can make it appear as if she were channeling Houdini’s ghost. Over the course of Techrat’s demonstration of the device he’s created (a modified Chinese Water Torture Cell), Techrat not only allows Minx to touch him but he also touches her in return and seems very happy about her presence in his lab. It is this scene which forms the largest part of the evidence for this ship.
The series never explains exactly why Techrat doesn’t like to be touched. He's not made out to be a germaphobe. He doesn't get any sort of backstory about emotional trauma in his past. And he doesn’t really seem to be afraid of people so much as he just seems to dislike them in general and, perhaps, the Misfits in particular. Generally, his reaction to being touched is more angry/tempermental genius than scared.
Techrat is clearly shown to like gadgets a lot more than people, even to the point of being more concerned about the damage done to his ‘beautiful’ inventions (he describes three separate inventions/gadgets as beautiful) than to the people who might potentially have been injured by them. He’s repeatedly shown to be a highly intelligent person and he doesn’t lack for self-confidence especially where his inventions are concerned. He’s also got a temper on him, one that can border on violent if he’s pushed far enough.
Also, oddly enough, he’s one of the rare ‘nerdy’ characters in TV who doesn’t look like a stereotypical nerd -- he doesn’t wear glasses, he’s actually fairly good-looking and he’s got a very punk/New Wave sense of style. Though, the last two could also be chalked up to the fact that JEM was based off a line of Barbie-style fashion dolls and no character in the series is really all that unattractive or unfashionably dressed -- they are mostly music industry professionals, after all.
It’s also interesting to note that Christy Marx, who created the series for Hasbro -- writing not only the series bible but also 22 of the 65 episodes, originally conceived of Techrat as an androgynous character ala Boy George.
[W]e needed another villainous type, so I came up with Techrat. My original idea for him was along the lines of a Boy George gone wrong. He was supposed to be a completely androgenous [sic] character with the viewer unable to determine if he was male or female. That got squashed in a hurry. They simply weren't going to deal with a concept that...ummm...controversial. Not to mention how to cast the voice. (Truly Outrageous JEM Mailing List v.1 #12, July 2, 1996)
Techrat ended up being cast as a male character (voiced by Charles Adler, who also voiced Eric Raymond and Zipper as well as several incidental male voices in the series) though he did retain a few androgynous traits, particularly long, thin, fingers that make him look like a pianist when he types and a face that can at times be downright pretty.
All in all, Techrat is an eccentric genius with a truly nasty streak, which is why I think he’d be perfect for:
Ingrid “MINX” Krueger: Minx is the Stinger’s synthesizer player. She’s from West Germany where she met up with Rory “Riot” Llewelyn and Phoebe “Rapture” Ashe. Like Techrat, Minx is a highly intelligent technological whiz kid with a very large bump of self-centered egomania. She is capable of designing and building her own synthesizers (and has been doing so since she was fourteen), installing burglar alarms, and rewiring broken fuse boxes -- though whether or not she’ll do these things depends on her mood at the time.
Minx is a shameless and often predatory flirt. When she’s told that Rio is dating Jerrica and Jem she is delighted at the prospect of stealing him from two women (“The Stingers Hit Town“). In a later episode, she seems rather neutral on the subject of Rio -- until Rapture suggests that Minx can’t make him hers, to which Minx replies that she can have any man she wants.
Like her fellow Stingers, she sees nothing wrong with lying, cheating or committing fraud to accomplish her ends. She cares little for the feelings of others, whether it’s insulting the artistic abilities of a twelve year old child or helping Rapture to hoodwink the love-struck Pizazz into performing a highly degrading ‘love spell’ to try and win over Riot. (“The Stingers Hit Town”)
In many ways, the Stingers are the nastier of the two ‘bad guy’ bands in the series -- and Minx fits right in. In the Stinger’s introductory episode, she flirts with Eric Raymond in an effort to help the band get in good with his record label -- while Riot flirts with Jerrica Benton for the same reason. She later drops Eric like a hot rock because he’s outlived his usefulness and then, while standing next to Eric, makes plans to try and steal Rio from Jerrica/Jem. Minx is, in no uncertain terms, a grade-A bitch, a fact which is emphasized in the episode “Change of Heart” where she tries to be nice after Rio rescues her from drowning.
The “nice” Minx ends up being a bigger pain in the ass and potentially more destructive than the “nasty” Minx ever was. She “helps” Rio build a synthesizer by essentially doing the work herself and angering him since he was building one to learn how to do it. She buys the Starlight Girls (foster girls being cared for by Jem and the Holograms) toys and candy which end up causing a mess and giving at least two girls a bellyache from stuffing themselves. She ‘kindly’ takes Jerrica out for a makeover because Minx is convinced that she is now dating Rio so she’s going to help Jerrica find a new boyfriend. She buys and installs a new alarm system in the Starlight House that works so well that the Holograms can’t open a window without setting off a klaxon better suited to Ft. Knox than a house.
What’s even more telling about her character is when Minx overhears Rio, Jerrica and the Holograms talking about how frustrating Minx’s kind gestures are. Immediately, Minx does a complete 180 and reverts back to her old ways, throwing a full-on tantrum in the process. She goes to the roof of Starlight House and smashes the keyboard she built for Rio on the ground, then proceeds to throw paint on the Holograms and then, as the piece de resistance, refuses to help out her own band and fix a broken fuse box at one of their own concerts because she’s done being nice:
RIOT: What’s the meaning of this?
CLUB OWNER (presumably): The whole fuse box is blown and my electrician is out sick
RAPTURE: Is that all? Minx can fix that in a jiffy
RIOT: Minx, we need your help over here for a moment
MINX: Help? (asked as crowd is becoming unruly in the background because the band is on stage and not performing)
RAPTURE: so we can finish the concert
MINX: Sorry, the word help isn’t in my vocabulary!
The Stingers’ nastiness does actually makes sense considering that they had to struggle up from nothing to reach their current levels of fame and success. The Stingers didn’t have their own record company (like the Holograms, who‘s parents owned Starlight Music) or a father who would buy them their record company (like the Misfits; Pizazz’s father buys her Misfits Music simply to shut Pizazz up).
Canon Evidence: The most convincing evidence in favor of Techrat and Minx as a pairing comes in the episode “That Old Houdini Magic.” The episode marks Techrat’s last appearance and is the only time the characters are shown together. So, let’s take a look at it:
The plot of “That Old Houdini Magic” revolves around Rapture convincing a wealthy older woman that she is channeling the spirit of Houdini. The purpose of this is to convince the woman to allow the Stingers to perform at a benefit concert she is holding and also to bilk the old woman out of a bunch of money. Jem and the Holograms, along with stage magician Astral, try unsuccessfully to convince the woman of Rapture’s fraud. Astral challenges Rapture to a duel of magic in order to try and expose her. This leads to Minx and Rapture showing up at Techrat’s place:
The scene in question opens on Rapture who is wrapped up in a straight jacket. She’s struggling to free herself. The straight jacket has two large pink ribbons, one on either shoulder.
RAPTURE: How do I get out of this thing?!
Techrat is standing nearby, with his back to Rapture while he works on a device. He seems entirely unconcerned about her distress and uninterested in her presence.
TECHRAT: Simple, pull the pink ribbon (sounds bored)
RAPTURE: (sounds annoyed) With what? My teeth?
TECHRAT: What else?
RAPTURE: Oh!
As Rapture does as she’s told, Minx walks into the room and over to Techrat. She leans against him to look over his shoulder, her hand on his lower back. Techrat does not flinch or otherwise look up from what he is doing.
MINX: (flirty) Is that for me?
TECHRAT: ‘Specially for you.
MINX: Oh! (sounds happy)
It’s at this point that Minx hugs Techrat - it’s one of those from behind hugs and she doesn’t lean entirely into it, but she does make a happy little noise and again, Techrat doesn’t say anything about being touched.
Rapture frees herself from the straightjacket which falls to the floor (listening to this without looking at the screen makes for raised eyebrows when what you hear is Minx’s happy little “Oh!” and then the sound of cloth sliding to the floor)
RAPTURE: It works!
TECHRAT: Of course it works! My gadgets always work!
Techrat then buckles the gadget he’s been working on -- a gold bracelet covered in large rhinestones of various colors around Minx’s wrist. Taking her by the hand, he walks her over to a large metal and glass box.
TECHRAT: Now! Behold! The ultimate illusion, the Chinese Water Torture Cell!
MINX: Hey! Look at all these neat [dots]. *word usage is unclear; could be ’duds or ’studs’.
Minx presses the studs on her bracelet, causing the top of the CWTC to lift off, move over to the side and pick up Rapture.
RAPTURE: Hey, I’m not getting into that thi-[word cut off by her shriek as cell picks her up and raises her up over the tank. Which is now full of water.]
Minx and Techrat stare at the now upside-down Rapture for a moment or two and there’s a cut to show how Rapture’s feet are securely held in place by a pair of cuffs at the top of the cell.
MINX: How do you do that? (awed)
TECHRAT: I didn’t! You did! Each rhinestone is a control stud which activates the locks and hinges on the lid of the tank
Techrat turns to explain to Minx how the bracelet works; he stands facing her and takes her hand in his, pushing buttons with his free hand as he and Minx cease paying attention to Rapture -- who ends up being dunked repeatedly as the lid of the tank goes up and down.
Again, Techrat seems to have no qualms about touching Minx and as seems to be usual for him, no real concern about the safety of the person using one of his inventions. In addition, Minx shows little or no concern for the safety of her band mate and supposed friend.
TECHRAT: After the curtain is placed over the tank, push this red one here.
Rapture screams as the anklets release her into the water.
TECHRAT: And Rapture is automatically released.
MINX: Don’t worry Rapture!
Rapture pulls herself to the top of the tank, panting.
MINX: (laughs) I have it all under control!
RAPTURE: (sounding frazzled) Just make sure that tonight you push that button the second they put the cover over this tank otherwise I’ll REALLY get a message from beyond.
In addition to demonstrating that Techrat can, for reasons never fully explained, tolerate it when Minx touches him, this scene also demonstrates for me just how perfectly suited Minx and Techrat are for each other.
Both characters have an interest in gadgets: Even though we don’t find out that Minx is something of a technological whiz herself until “Change of Heart,” two episodes later, Minx is clearly interested in what Techrat is making and seems enthralled by the device’s abilities. Techrat's interest in gadgets is demonstrated throughout the series, since that's his entire bit.
Both characters have fairly one-track minds: Again, the whole dunking Rapture like she’s a Krispy Kreme thing and Minx’s blasé attitude to the half-drown Rapture crawling out of the tank. Separately, both Minx and Techrat also show a tendency toward single-mindedness. In “Change of Heart,” a lot of the chaos Minx causes for Rio, Jerrica and the Holograms and Starlight Girls comes from her insistence on doing what she thinks is best for them regardless of how the others feel or the consequences for her actions. On at least three occasions, Techrat’s first thought when one of his inventions is destroyed is concern about the damaged device. This includes a scene in "The Music Awards" where Pizazz crash-lands a hang-glider and Techrat's only concern is the fact that she broke the laser pistol he'd let her test for him.
Both characters honestly do seem to have some kind of an attraction for each other: Techrat is allowing Minx to not just touch him but hug him and he touches her in return. His voice during this scene is relaxed and calm and a bit flirty in return -- in contrast to his tendency in other episodes to snap at people at the slightest provocation. In “The Jem Jam,” for example, he yells at Pizazz simply for attempting to lightly touch his arm. For her part, Minx seems genuinely interested in what Techrat’s doing and in the device he creates. She’s not just after a gimmick from him like Eric or the Misfits usually are.
She certainly wants something from him, but she doesn’t act like she’s just buttering him up -- something she had no qualms about doing with Eric or Rio in other episodes. And if she was, chances are good Techrat wouldn’t have responded to it. He didn’t when Pizazz tried to suck up to him in ’The Jem Jam’ and he’s not exactly a stranger to being in the company of beautiful, famous women. Also, if all Minx wanted was for him to make her a gimmick, she could probably have bought his help. Techrat works for money, after all.
It’s interesting that Minx and Techrat already seem to be familiar with each other during “That Old Houdini Magic” -- considering that Techrat’s last appearance before this was in episode #49, “Journey Through Time” and Minx doesn’t appear until episode 54-55 “The Stingers Hit Town, parts one and two), six episodes prior to TOHM, there is a gap where they could have met each other -- potentially through Eric Raymond.
Further confirmation, of a sort, also comes in episode #63, “Change of Heart” which takes place two episodes after “That Old Houdini Magic”: The Stingers are at an electronics trade show, shopping for equipment. Riot leaves, having gotten bored, and when Rapture spots Rio Pacheco, also shopping for equipment, she points him out to Minx:
RAPTURE: Minx look who’s here (points to Rio)
MINX: Rio, who needs him (sounds miffed)
RAPTURE: So you’ve given up?
MINX: What do you mean given up? (sounds angry)
RAPTURE: Well after all he is the only man you haven’t been able to hook
MINX: I can get any man!
Those two lines, while perhaps not necessarily outright confirmation that Minx and Techrat had a ‘thing‘, is at least an added bit of evidence that the possibility could have existed. If Minx can get any man she wants and if Rio is the only man she hasn‘t been able to hook, then chances are high that Minx hooked Techrat.
There’s also another bit of semi-canonical evidence in favor of this pairing. Christy Marx, who created the series for Hasbro and who developed the character bios and relationships for the series was asked once about the possibility of a pairing between the two. This is what she said:
>1. In "That Old Houdini Magic" Minx touches Tech Rat and he
>doesn't freak out. He even holds her hand. Was there something
>going on there or did Tech Rat just mello out?
CHRISTY SEZ: I did have something in mind for developing a relationship between Minx and Techrat. (Truly Outrageous! JEM Mailing List, V.2 #50, October 5, 1997 )
Unfortunately, the series didn’t continue beyond episode 65 so what might of happened between these two is left to the hands of fanfic writers.
Why Ship This Pairing?:
Short Answer: Because they’re adorable! And because I’d like to read fics I haven’t written!
Longer Answer: Because I love the sheer oddity of these two. They’re not like other couples in the show, particularly in that we never see exactly how they came to know each other. There’s not a long story arc showing how it is that Minx and Techrat met and managed to hit it off. They have no history together in the show other than the scene in “That Old Houdini Magic” and we never see them together again, because the show ends four episodes later.
Essentially, this is the JEM pairing that never was and the possibilities of how they met and how they managed to come together intrigues me. However it happened, chances are things weren’t simple for Techrat and Minx and the very lack of simplicity makes me want to poke around at this idea and see what happens.
Of course, considering what we’re shown of the characters I don’t think this is a pairing that would actually last very long, particularly since given a choice between her loyalties to the Stingers and anyone else, Minx does invariably choose to stick with her band mates -- she even describes Riot as her 'guru' and 'inspiration' the 'nucleus around which the world revolves' (The Day the Music Died). Their relationship doesn't seem to be a romantic one, but Riot in particular and the Stingers in general, are where Minx's first loyalties lie.
But even without the Stingers in the equation, neither Techrat nor Minx seem the type to settle down and grow old together -- which does fly in the face of conventional fannish wisdom that True Love Lasts Forever.
Still, it could be a wild ride while it lasts.
You buy one VHS tape, or How I came to find this pairing:
One of my favorite plays is “You Can‘t Take It With You“ which is about a family of absolutely mad, peculiar free spirits and their down-to-earth daughter who is trying to marry the son of a banker. At one point, the fiancé tries to allay the daughter‘s fears about her odd-ball family, telling her that all families have quirks -- his mother's a spiritualist and his father collects orchids. The daughter counters with my favorite line in the whole play:
“You don’t understand, your mother believes in spiritualism because it’s fashionable; your father collects orchids because he can afford to. My mother -- my mother writes plays because eight years ago a typewriter was delivered here by mistake!” (paraphrased from memory)
Essentially, I’ve started writing fanfic for Jem and the Holograms, because on the way back from my mom’s house my girlfriend and I stopped at the Castleton Half Price Books in Indianapolis and bought a JEM VHS tape, which led to me looking up episodes on YouTube which led to me finding out about the character of Techrat which led to me developing a new favorite character.
Techrat/Minx attracted me because, as I’ve said, it seems to come out of nowhere. There is no set up for it -- or, possibly more correctly, what we were shown in “That Old Houdini Magic” was the set up for it and we never got to see the continuation. These kinds of ‘what ifs’ and ‘why thats’ are a huge part of the way I get attracted to writing about particular characters and situations. Particularly when one of the characters is as much of an oddball as Techrat is -- not that Minx is any less odd, in her own way.
My concept for the pairing: What I think draws Minx and Techrat together is the fact that both of them are stuck in a world that doesn’t quite understand them. Minx is a beautiful and smart woman who, like many women with ‘manly’ interests in science and technology has probably faced surprise and even outright hostility from men and women who expect her to be either pretty or smart, not both.
Not to mention that there is a certain population of men who expect any woman, no matter how smart, to be not quite as knowledgeable about ‘manly things’ as a man can be. There are examples of this throughout our society -- from the teacher who thinks girls can’t handle higher math to the mechanic who thinks he can cheat a female customer to the clerk at Best Buy who offers to help female customers shop for electronics. Chances are, Minx has long ago learned to go along and get along and play the game of being silly and pretty and that she would relish attention from someone who would see her as a true equal.
For Techrat’s part, he does not like to be touched. While this is difficult in and of itself, it gets harder when faced with members of the opposite (or same) sex who feel that this aversion is something that can be fixed by the love of the right woman (or man) and of course the right man (or woman) is them! Or, even among those not quite so narcissistic, there are the constant questions about his sex life -- are you gay? (potentially dangerous, considering the time period) Are you a virgin? Why don’t you like to be touched? What happened to you? And on and on and on.
For Techrat, Minx is someone who very likely doesn’t care about why he doesn’t like to be touched by other people -- he doesn’t mind that she touches him and that’s fine by her. She’s so busy talking to him about circuits and keyboards and custom building microchips that sex a low priority, if it happens at all.
As I said earlier, I don’t see this as a pairing with a lot of sticking power. I described it to a friend as not so much a case of “Mr. and Mrs. Right” but “Mr. and Mrs. Right Now” or even “Mr. and Mrs. While It Lasts.” Neither Minx nor Techrat seem the type to be celebrating their 50th anniversary together while the grandkids play on the lawn and their children look upon them with adoring eyes.
But again, it could be a wild ride while it lasts. And heck, I could be wrong.
I’ll admit that this could be seen as a rather sad and cynical ending for this pairing but in my opinion it’s an ending that would make sense and remain true to the characters. Instead of forcing Techrat and Minx into what would, again in my opinion, be an out of character and stereotypical Happily Ever After, I’d rather see them as friends -- possibly as friends with benefits.
Fandom Guide:
Fanfic Sources: Unfortunately, this is a pairing with a very, very small fandom following. In searching the internet, the closest I’ve come to finding a Techrat/Minx fic that I didn’t write is one fic with a line about Minx leaving Rapture alone because Techrat called her about a circuit board. Otherwise, many fans either simply do not write about the characters (Techrat is a relatively minor character and most fics involving the Stingers tend to focus around Riot due to his romantic interest in Jem).
I have written two fics about Techrat and Minx that are about the early stages of their relationship. These are “First Impressions” and “Something to Go On” -- both of which are available at FF.Net, in the JEM section.
Sources: -- General sources of information about JEM as a series.
- List of Jem Episodes @ Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jem_episodes
- TrulyOutrageousJem Yahoo!Group -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TrulyOutrageousJem/
- Jem Primer -- http://www.loony-archivist.com/jem/primer/index.htm
- Britrock, UK home of the Misfits -- http://www.etherella.com/britrock/
- Jem (TV Series) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jem_and_the_Holograms
- List of Jem Characters -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jem_characters
- Truly Outrageous! Jem Mailing List -- http://jemlist.tripod.com/