Jeanie Bottle 441
Jul25
on July 25, 2017
at 12:00 am
and modified on October 21, 2019. at 11:09 pm
Chapter: Story 11: I Dream of an Escape
Yay, Natalie’s back! That’s a very welcome surprise. 🙂
Though I do wonder what’s left her looking so adorably disheveled in the last panel.
for that matter, when we last saw NEIL, he was asleep. but now he’s turned into NATALIE, without Jeannie’s help!! WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!?!?!
She also seems to be reacting to Rog in a rather girl with potential love interest feelings too. Very odd things happening in this arc.
I’m as puzzled about this as Neil is. Did Jean poofed Neil back into Natalie while sleep-possessed, more womanly than normal?
Niel is heterosexual, it stands to reason that a TG’ed Neil would also be heterosexual
I like the cut of your jib.
Not necessarily. A does not necessarily equal A in this case. Also, Neil as Natalie has shown no interest in Rodge up until now.
Neil, until this point, I’d pegged as gynosexual – or attracted to the female form. Albeit, we have never seen Neil attracted to ANYTHING in female form. But all reactions we’ve seen from Neil thusfar have been towards female figures – mostly Jeannie. Neil has had plenty of interaction with males as Natalie, Rodge in partcular, and never had a wisp of attraction towards anyone like that. Thus something has changed. Someone did something, and it probably has to do with that “Jeannie” looming over him while he slept.
I no longer know where this story is going anymore. Why is neil Natalie? Why are there 2 Jeannie arc types? Why did the jeannie subconscious show up that night? And who is the evil Genie?!?! CD I need more!
I agree – Its all taking a rather confusing turn.
Also serious question CD. Is what’s happening to neil, and what happened to Jean in comic 436, similar to what happened to Jean in comic 138. Where Jean tried to (somehow) impose its will on someone else. Say Niel, Arci, and on Jean/Jeannie.
Jean was originally human. Could it be possible that since he’s not acting girly and like a proper genie, that it’s effecting niel in some way?
Edit: holy crap! Que belle in a couple of chapters!
Well, since you asked,
Here’s what’s going on. …[- Spoiler Blocked -]…
I hope that fully answers your query.
Oh my god it explains EVERYTHING! Thank you CD!
Well that answers that.
Jeez, CD, that’s…dark. Can’t wait, though.
So, what is going on because the Spoiler is Blocked for me.
Yay! Natalie is back again, and this time it looks like she actual feelings for Rodge? that’s definitely a twist… I wonder what will happen next? Maybe Rodge will finally score with Natalie?
Probably not, but we can still dream! ^^
There isn’t any reason for Neil to be Natalie right now, because, Jeanie was doing simple sleep poofing when she was recalled back to Haji palace. Unless Jeanie was looking at Neil when he was asleep and she was still thinking of agent Anderson and inadvertently poof Neil into Natalie or something like that.
Or there could be another Genie doing this too.
Neil or Natalie isn’t interested in Rodge or anything like that. But, Rodge is the only one that know that Natalie is in fact Neil and she doesn’t have to explain her existence to Rodge as to who she is.
And we know who the government agent is Anderson.
Oh, dear.
Looks like Natalie has been “adjusted” like Bay was at the helix center….
Well, my best guess now is that this Natalie, whether or not she’s Neil, doesn’t recognize Rodge. She may not even know she’s Natalie. This is way beyond any stunt Jean would pull.
So why would another genie turn Neil into Natalie and then wipe her memory? It might have something to do with making sure Neil doesn’t try to summon Jean back from Haji’s palace. Even if the bottle is blocked from summoning, it might do something like produce a note explaining why it’s not answering its usual protocol–like the note when Neil asked to have Jean not open the bottle. But if Neil’s memory is erased, why turn him into Natalie?
Okay, suppose the memory loss and Natalie were intended to give Jean something to do while the second Jeanie poses as her so she can get close to Haji and take him out. If he’s not too macho, the second Jeanie could be the Blue Djinn in disguise. After all, Araceli, who is just a young genie, pulled off taking Jean’s place with no problem. But, problem, Jean had already been summoned.
The only part I’m kind of sure of is that Neil/Natalie doesn’t recognize Rodge. Feel free to come up with your own amazing crackpot theories.
Doesn’t this go against Genie’s messing with human will. I.E. something I discussed above, and hasn’t been talked about since chapter 138. You know… the thing that made Jean a ghost! Also I think it’s a little extreme to but jumping on the memory loss bandwagon so quickly. Sure something is up, but until we see some more… who knows.
Crackpot Theory #1:
Jeannie has just discovered that she seems to have a duplicate. Now Neil/Natalie seems to have a duplicate that doesn’t know Rodge. Perhaps the Blue Djinn is making duplicates of everyone involved with Jeannie, for his own (undoubtedly sinister) purposes? Who will be next? Rodge? Caley? Araceli? Maybe Belle?
The “making sure Neil doesn’t summon Jeanie while she’s at Haji’s Palace” thing is my own hypothesis as well. And remember, CD doesn’t tell me future plot elements, because I ask him not to. This is honest speculation.
I’m guessing that Haji, or one of his lieutenants, cast some spell from afar that forced Jeanie to do something to Neil to “keep him busy while his genie is away”.
And since I bet they assume that Neil is sleeping with Jeanie, they may have tried to be “nice” by allowing him to retain a bed partner while Jeanie is away. But since the spell used on Neil was actually cast by Jeanie, the most straightforward way she could accomplish that is through turning Neil into Natalie and messing with her hormones to make her capable of being attracted to Rodge.
I don’t think that would count against the “No manipulating free will” rule, since that’s a physiological change, rather than a psychological one.
Also, I don’t agree with you guys’ hypothesis that she’s been memory wiped of Rodge. Her reaction in the last panel gives me “Why the hell am I attracted to RODGE??!” vibes much more so than “Wow, that guy’s hot!”
Along those lines… is the blushing and the “thumping” actually her heart beating hard and fast after seeing Rodge?
That’s my interpretation. I actually asked CD what the “thump”s were, but he didn’t respond. When he fails to respond like that, I generally take that as “Answering that question would be a spoiler”. So I take it those are significant in some manner. 🙂
I doubt they would turn Neil into Natalie as a way to keep him from summoning Jeannie. I would think that would be the way to make him summon Jeannie the quickest. And I don’t think they know about Neil turning into Natalie. Genies don’t seem to be the brightest bulbs in the box. Remember that Guano thought Natalie was a genie when he first saw her…
As to my theory on why Natalie is here…
I am still as puzzled as she is!
As for those thumps… Those thumps are doki doki. I’d know that reaction anywhere!
Perhaps a love spell was thrown into the mix as well as the gender bending?
Or Natalie just happened to have her friend Molly over? Or her other friend Elise Dee? lol
As a real blue-sky hypothesis, when Jeanie first turned Neil into Natalie, she put too much magic into it, resulting in his natural form now being Natalie, and whenever she was changed back, it was just an alteration to make him appear to be Neil, requiring at least a trickle of her magic to maintain; with Jeanie having been whisked away into Haji’s harem, that trickle got cut off, and Neil reverted to being Natalie.
> So why would another genie turn Neil into Natalie …
I don’t recall seeing any indication that anyone except Jeanie and Rodge know that Natalie is really Neil. So how would they even know to transform him?
Just saying.
Where is the memory loss theory coming from? I see Natalie opening the door, Rodge accidentally putting his hand on her breast, and her shutting the door in embarrassment. I think she knows who he is. She just isn’t comfortable with him him fondling her.
Huh, I never interpreted panel 3 like that. I just assumed that Rodge still had his hand in the air from knocking. Maybe that’s what’s happening, though?
“Hand in the air while knocking on Natalie’s door” rather than “Handling Natalie’s knockers” is certainly my take.
Except, of course, he was knocking with his right hand and it appears he is touching Natalie with his left. Not sure about why he would have reached out and touched her, but that sort of explains the, “what the hell was that?” from Natalie.
Well, I’m betting Agent Anderson will be back. But first, maybe, Belle. The door Natalie opened for Rodge is the door Belle knows as the door to Jean’s apartment. Remember that Jean moved Neil’s smaller apartment into his own, although somehow it seems to occupy the same space as the another apartment, maybe Ms. Eden’s. Belle was last seen just after Jean got back from New York when she was wondering who that Natalie was with Jean (actually Rodge playing Jean). It would be entirely in character for her to pay a surprise visit now, since she “knows” Jean was recently in New York and seems to be engaged to another woman.
Maybe wishful thinking. But it would be so nice to have Belle show up and find Natalie in Jean’s apartment.
Ooooooo Interesting
Gender Bending and alien emotions rearing their adorkable head! I love it!
Ok, this sort of thing is my bread and butter so lets see what crazy theory I can pull outta my butt…… hmmmm -scratches chin-
Doesnt make sense for this to be Haji’s doing to keep her distracted because assuming Jeans bottle didnt get poof’d away with her, Neil (sorry, Natalie) would still be able to summon her back and demand answers and/or a fix, AND there’s probably rules preventing Genies from fucking with another Genie’s master unless its the result of a wish from their own Master………….
………… yeah I have nothing
Well, not nothing. My only theory is that Neil has been poof’d into Natalie so many times that it might be starting to cause a personality (or a personNatalie >,,> ) split and the longer Neil stays in the Natalie form, the stronger the Natalie personality becomes. Probably not an intentional thing but rather a side affect that Jean is unaware of is happening. Just my thoughts on it though >.>
cant wait for next week’s strip xD
Did Rodge accidently hit Neil’s left breast? It sure looked like it .
Hit, and then did not remove. Yup. I agree.
That is what I think so too. In the last panel Natalie is holding the same spot that it seems like Rodge touched.
I think not–if only because the scene works better for me if Natalie is …stirred merely by the sight of Rodge.
Neither is acting appropriately to actual fondling or even touching. Rodge would not be puzzled by the reaction to that, neither would Natalie.
Definite, accidental, boob-punch. I thought there was some behavior augmentation at first but when I looked again, I noticed the arm.
A modest proposal.
“Natalie” isn’t Neil. Too surprised & clueless. (Being listed as appearing in strip 441 proves nothing. Robert doesn’t know either.)
Nor any innocent young female djinn. They’re all locked in the palace “for their own protection”.
Who does that leave?
I suggest the pseudo-Natalie IS THE BLUE DJINN!!
Why?
However powerful, not a good move to go up against an army of near-equals.
Subtlety is called for.
Pulling off such a con oughtn’t to be too hard. Djinn aren’t noted for being rocket scientists. With their powers, why do they need brains? Superman’s hardest problem has always been figuring out whom to punch.
Not true! Superman is always able to figure out a way to get Mr. Mxyzptlk to say his name backwards.
That just means that Clark Kent is good at solving Jumble puzzles. 😉
@Tom Sewell – the wedding was the best of those. Mxy wishes Clark Kent the best of luck, promises much mayhem in the future, and then gives him the best wedding gift of all: a free 90 days without a visit from him. Comics with him were so fun. Just like the Prankster appearances.
I see a number of other people are also confused. Good, that means it is not my being drunk again that is to blame for my confusion. To celebrate, a drink.
I’ll go further out on a limb. (If I’m wrong, this does not invalidate previous speculation.)
It accounts for the Jeanie look-alike in strip 440. The Blue Djinn had to do _something_ with Neil to pull off a masquerade.
Suppose the Blue Djinn can be recognized at close range, regardless of outward form, by his “aura of evil”.
Neil could pass any such inspection.
(Why doesn’t he speak up? Brainwashed? Amnesiac? Controlled? Just plain afraid to open his mouth amidst that crowd?)
Then, once everyone’s guard is down, the Blue Djinn swaps places and…
If I’m right, guess who Haji will pick to be #29.
Or #29 and #30 if Haji is “into” twins. See “A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum”
Okay why can’t Natalie stop touching herself?
There. Let’s see if the two of them can start something they might be able to finish.
Alternate universe crossover. Jeanie 2 and the new Natalie are from the crossover. Jean will have to fix everything. I still want to see a filler of Belle in a haram girl outfit-please-please
Belle at the Haram.
Yes, I was thinking of putting this idea out too. Jeanie 2 and the new Natalie were best friends instead of the Jean and Neil combination being the best friends. But, the new Natalie seem to have some of Neil old memories. But, we have the same old Rodge.
????
I’m switching my vote to the Rodge Felt Up Natalie Party because:
(1) In the second panel, Rodge is knocking with his right hand, but in the third panel, it’s his left hand that is at least in the vicinity of Natalie’s left boob.
(2) Natalie is blushing in the third panel.
(3) While Natalie is leaning against the door, heart going thumpity-thump-thump, saying “What the Hell was that?!”, she’s touching her aforementioned left boob.
Also, I discovered a mystery. When did Neil get his door back? Way back in #65 Neil (as Natalie) found his apartment door missing. In #66, Jean told him she’d moved his tiny bachelor apartment inside his own to sort of abide by genie rules. Jean’s apartment door has been #325 ever since Jeanie Bottle #4. Or has there been a retcon? It was finally established in I Dream of Technicolor that Rouyah/Ms. Eden has lived in Apartment 310 since she returned to Cocoa Beach, and that the apartment next to her was Andy’s–the old geezer who died leaving his apartment free for Jean to move into.
I was wondering if Neil was changed to Natalie for his own protection in case the Blue Djinn came looking for Jeanie. It might open the door for some interaction between her and Rodge for the same reason.
It’s neal inside the Natalie body. Rodge was knocking on the door and wound up knocking on Natalies boobs. Neil, inside Natalie, is wondering why Rodge fondling his boob made his heart race.
As I already noted above, Rodge is fondling with his left hand; he was knocking with his right.
I am not convinced on the fondling idea at the moment…
She is looking at Rodge’s face, not where he would have poked her at with his finger. I would have thought her eyes would have gone there.
Frame 1 does seem like Rodge was going to point to Neil when the door opened upon his statement about the federal agent and completing the sentence with … (you!?). I am just not sure the finger made contact.
I can’t wait for the next week. You realize CD keeps doing this to us and is probably exhibiting an evil satisfied laugh between each episode.
Nope, it’s called, the art of ‘SUSPENSE’!
Yes, but SUSPENSE is generally followed by an explanation, before building up to the next suspense moment. These last two comics could have been followed by “Dah-dah-DAH!” fanfare at the end of both of them. It’s like the episode BEFORE the season finale where they try to build EVERYONE up for cliffhangars.
And at 4 panels a week, the suspense may be literally killing me.
Hey CD. Are you ever going to expand upon what happened in comic 138. And jeannies messing with free will. Because (assuming this IS niel) couldn’t this be looked at as a clear violation of the rules? Would this technically be direct influence over Niel/Natallie’s thoughts?
Hey, you know what? There’s a gaping loophole in the wording of that Free Will clause on the Information page (linked at the top). It says “A Genie cannot impose their will upon a mortal by force or by magical means, and will be automatically punished for trying.”
The loophole is “cannot impose their will”. What if Haji ordered Jeanie to impose HAJI’S will on Neil? That would mean that Jeanie isn’t imposing her own will onto Neil, getting around the Free Will clause. That might be what zombie-Jeanie was doing on Page 436.
Or maybe this is all just a failing on my part to word that rule properly, lol.
Robert you are technically correct. The best kind of correct! Also that’s very good and may explain a lot. If each genie was ordered to do something, they could still interpret it however they choose. God damn CD you’ve got me hooked!
Bossrhino… could be…. [looks around, whistling]
CD I have a very strong feeling that you’d like me to close something right now. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. You aren’t trying to impose your will on me? Are you?
Touch me in the morning…
Anyone else out there who remembers when that was a hit? Anyone? Anyone?
Me! Well played!
Come on, “clothes shopping” scene! I’m pretty sure all of Natalie’s previous outfits were “poofed” on to her, so would she actually have some lying around? This’ll probably turn into a running from the Feds scene, never mind…sigh.
Natalie looks to me like she just woke up. Bed showing in the first panel? Remember, Jean hasn’t needed a bed for a long time. Also Rodge is banging away on the door for the first two panels, which kind of implies that he started out with taps and worked his way up when he didn’t get any response.
Expanding on my investigation of of the door number mysteries, I just noticed that in #436, the comic where Neil is sleeping in the last two panels, the number on the door Neil enters through in panel one carrying that box which does or does not carry pizza is 308. So, now it appears that Neil is in 312, Rouyah/Ms. Eden in 310, and Jean in 308. Well, I suppose Jean could have switched apartments even without magic…
To be honest, I just keep forgetting which number Jean’s apartment is. This time I used Ms Eden’s Appartment number and assumed the numbers (like street numbers) would have even on one side, Odds on the other.