Jean AKA Jeannie AKA Jeanie is a film, book, and magazine reviewer for a national magazine. Most of Jean’s work is done through email, which means he doesn't have to go into the office.
On a trip to find a gift for his girlfriend, Jean found an empty Genie Bottle. Upon picking up this bottle, Jean became the bottle’s new genie-powered occupant. Not only was Jean turned into a genie, but the bottle turned him into what he believed a genie of the bottle should look like. Which, due to his fascination with a classic 60s TV show, turned him into a busty blonde woman.
A junior engineer working for a small engineering firm in Cocoa Beach. The firm focuses mostly on NASA projects.
Neil is Jean’s best friend. When Jean was turned into a genie, Neil became Jeanie’s master.
I think he’s annoyed because he spent the extra effort to get the pizza (and then refuse to share it with any of the other housemates) only to find out that Jean didn’t want it.
That’s what I thought Ijuinkkun he brought a nice pizza for them to share and she’d already eaten. It was one of my favorite scenes in house sitter where goldies character has had a long day and Leslie Neilson?’s one just brings back chinese for her and she nearly breaks down becaause its what she wanted in a man someone who just does these unconcious bits of kindness.
Poor Neil. He wants so badly to be kind to his genie–and finds she doesn’t need him.
At least, not for food or living space.
C’mon, Neil–what do genies need from their masters that they themselves can’t provide?
Honestly though–this is the single saddest strip in the story so far. Nearly tragic. I hope the storyline gives Neil and Jeanie the opportunity to bond. To NEED each other.
“Love and care, ” indeed yes.
But how should a master care for his genie?
===
Aracelli is quite attached to Neil–dork that he is, he is still the kindest master she’s ever had. But I have to wonder if, after a few years with him, she wouldn’t have started ton feel neglected and unneeded?
Well one could read the book on the “care and feeding of genies” way way back…
Or I imagine the answer is to treat them as human.
Keep in mind a genies life span. We have no idea how old Aracelli is but she’s probably been through a few in her existence. A genie has an existence that allows them to interact with the mortal who holds desires, and a genie might feel a sense of fulfillment in granting those desires. However a life of constantly drifting from one desire to another isn’t much of a life however long it is. Interaction between two people forms a connection greater then the whole, and perhaps a genie senses this even more so. It’s no fun being able to grant ones own desires forever… but granting anothers and being around for the ride must allow for greater experiences.
Care and feeding of genies book was introduced to us just after Jean was transformed into Jeanie or not long after this series started or about or little over a year ago there time.
Well, except that Jean is really a straight guy named Gene trapped in a Genie’s body. Gene is a bit an ass and would treat Neil exactly that way even if he had his male body back. In the beginning there were some really awkward moments. Hmm, still are. Anyway they were good friends before the magic gender bend and the idea of anything romantic or sexual happening between them is something neither of them would seriously consider. At least it seems so to me regarding how CD has treated his characters over the years.
I’m not so sure we’ve seen her becoming more and more feminine as the strip goes on she even just brought him lunch once. I need to look back but he might have reacted much the same as she does here not realizing how much it meant to the other.
Yeah, you’re right of course, Rob. Been following JeanieBottle for what well over ten years now from the start and over time memory got over ridden by ingrained naming conventions. Matter of fact, turning on the way back machine I recall in the beginning I thought Jean was a strange choice over the normally masculine Gene. In my long years I have never run into a guy who spelled their name Jean, it was always Gene. But in the context of this strip it makes sense.
As I understand it, her ability to duplicate an item is limited by her ability to mentally envision it. That is why she needed to see the photo of the General Lee in order to recreate it. Likewise, she probably could not duplicate any food item that she had not tasted recently enough to remember the exact taste, smell, texture, etc.
More specifically, she lacks the imagination to conjure up a Kibble Burger *she* finds satisfactory. We know she doesn’t have a very good imagination, so this seems like the likely mechanism behind her claim that genie magic can’t do this.
Which *also* fits with her arrogant personality: “I couldn’t do this with magic, so clearly magic can’t do this at all!”
This could also have to do with her subconscious self-image. If Jean thinks of herself as a poor cook (e.g. in her mind it’s “women’s work” and she’s not “really” a woman), then any food she produces will conform to that idea. If she expects that food produced by her will be substandard, then that is what she will get.
(As an aside, is Sartorelli’s a real place or was it created for the story? I can’t find any online references to it.)
Okay this is where the entire Genie magic thing is starting to break down for me. Specifically regarding, visualization, taste, envision, subconscious self image, etc. She’s a friggin GENIE with the power to alter reality, manipulate matter and energy down to atomic and most likely the subatomic level. We don’t know HOW it works in CDs universe but the results are apparent. Especially with the gender bend aspect. At the molecular level the Y chromosome is being converted to an X and not just any X but one which is compatible with the overall genetic makeup of the organism. Add to that matter and energy is converted to a new form. Regarding the General Lee, that is much more than simple visualization. GL is complex assembly of mechanical and electrical components which I doubt Jean has the ability to visualize. Bottom line is that Genie magic is far more subtle and complex than that, she thinks about/wants something, blinks and it pops into existence. Thinks about a gender change, blinks and it’s done. At that level blinking up a proper Kibbleburger is nothing.
What I am seeing is that a genie usually gets what they expect to get, as long as it’s not something prohibited like when Jean tried to mind-control the cheerleader at Melvin’s school. If Jean believes that she can’t match the quality of an authentic Kibble Burger, then she can’t.
I think she has a magic pocket that she keep it in that appears and disappears by her command, because, there is definitely nowhere to keep that wallet in that get up that she where right now.
when Jean first became a geanie she accidently poofed him some breakfast so he probably thought that is what she did. That is a very trim outfit that looks good on her. Usually she wears something baggie. Maybe she has been taking fashion tips from Araceli. Bet she turned quite a few heads at the mall.
The breakfast was generic (home-made style meat and eggs etc.), whereas poofing a Kibble Burger is an attempt at recreating a specific item, which probably requires more precision (e.g. compare baking a cake in general vs. baking an exact duplicate of a specific cake). Jean’s argument isn’t “I can’t poof up edible food”, but rather “I can’t duplicate this particular item very well”. Jean could probably make a decent generic hamburger, but it would not be a proper Kibble Burger.
It has occured to me that Neil could use some loving female companionship. Jeanie is to scarey. The girls from Melvin and friends are all in high school and to young. Bay and Berry are both married. Honey is engaged to David. What are the chances of having Crystal and/or Heather doing a crossover for a dinner date with our hero.
Personally, I think he needs to start treating Jean like a genie. Keep her in her bottle. Ask for some wishes. Have her call him Master. I had always assumed that’s where their relationship was heading.
I don’t think Neil is capable of that yet. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy and Jean was his best friend (maybe his only friend outside of work) before becoming Jeanie. While its agreed that Neil needs to grow a pair and begin enforcing the Master/Genie relationship, I don’t think he’s been pushed over that brink yet.
To be honest, I’m not sure that’s even how it’d work in a traditional genie/master situation, because Neil already spent his three wishes. Jeanie volunteered to stay with him afterward, much like how Jeannie did on the TV show.
So the concept of “make her stay in the bottle, and force her to call Neil ‘Master'” just doesn’t seem like something that would work even with, say, Araceli.
See, I don’t get that. If Neil was only entitled to three wishes then why wasn’t Jeanie forced back to her bottle to await another master to grant wishes to? If Jeanie had the option to stay with Neil and he agreed then that would mean she’s a free genie and can do as she pleases. That doesn’t seem so correct to me. It makes me wonder…what was the point of Jean being turned into a genie if all she had to was grant three wishes and then she’s free?
There is a Sartorelli’s truck stop in Thunder Bay, On. but I couldn’t find out if they made a Kibble Burger. The food did get all good reviews. Lots of locals eat there.
Actually, the restaurant and the burger is named after a friend of mine who is an Ex-Professional-Chef (He may-be making a Kibble burger recipe for for me to share on this site).
Not sure this has been answered before, but how exactly is the flow of time working here? The comic started in 2009, and the events so far couldn’t have spanned more than a year or two but current strips reference 2020 events. I can only reason 3 possibilities:
A) Comic is in a dystopian reality where covid and SpaceX’s events happened sooner than reality. Could be a side effect of magic.
B) A time skip or several have happened at a few points.
C) Time is irrelevant and while events happen in set sequence, but like The Simpsons the year has no meaning to the in story passage of time.
And Jean must have won the lottery only explanation.
I assume it’s because Neil is looking at the bag of food with Sartorelli’s brand on it.
Why does Neil have such a forlorn face? I wonder what’s bothering him?
He brought dinner only to find his genie/girlfriend had already eaten.
she kinda has a point there but, where’d she get the money with no job to finance her?
Neil’s wallet, maybe?
That might by why Neil is frowning at right now. She took the money out of his pocket, just like any women would and without asking too.
Watch it, Larry. That sexist bullshit is not tolerated here.
I think he’s annoyed because he spent the extra effort to get the pizza (and then refuse to share it with any of the other housemates) only to find out that Jean didn’t want it.
That’s what I thought Ijuinkkun he brought a nice pizza for them to share and she’d already eaten. It was one of my favorite scenes in house sitter where goldies character has had a long day and Leslie Neilson?’s one just brings back chinese for her and she nearly breaks down becaause its what she wanted in a man someone who just does these unconcious bits of kindness.
I’m guessing she paid for that burger with some lotto winnings.
Poor Neil. He wants so badly to be kind to his genie–and finds she doesn’t need him.
At least, not for food or living space.
C’mon, Neil–what do genies need from their masters that they themselves can’t provide?
Honestly though–this is the single saddest strip in the story so far. Nearly tragic. I hope the storyline gives Neil and Jeanie the opportunity to bond. To NEED each other.
Love and care i would imagine are things neither money or magic can do. To be loved and to.hsve been loved.
Though perhaps protection from other would be dangerous masters is another aspect to a genie
“Love and care, ” indeed yes.
But how should a master care for his genie?
===
Aracelli is quite attached to Neil–dork that he is, he is still the kindest master she’s ever had. But I have to wonder if, after a few years with him, she wouldn’t have started ton feel neglected and unneeded?
Well one could read the book on the “care and feeding of genies” way way back…
Or I imagine the answer is to treat them as human.
Keep in mind a genies life span. We have no idea how old Aracelli is but she’s probably been through a few in her existence. A genie has an existence that allows them to interact with the mortal who holds desires, and a genie might feel a sense of fulfillment in granting those desires. However a life of constantly drifting from one desire to another isn’t much of a life however long it is. Interaction between two people forms a connection greater then the whole, and perhaps a genie senses this even more so. It’s no fun being able to grant ones own desires forever… but granting anothers and being around for the ride must allow for greater experiences.
Care and feeding of genies book was introduced to us just after Jean was transformed into Jeanie or not long after this series started or about or little over a year ago there time.
Gods, Jeanie doesn’t even glance up at him the whole time.
What’s worse for a guy than being scorned by the beautiful woman in his life?
Being ignored. Being utterly irrelevant to her.
Well, except that Jean is really a straight guy named Gene trapped in a Genie’s body. Gene is a bit an ass and would treat Neil exactly that way even if he had his male body back. In the beginning there were some really awkward moments. Hmm, still are. Anyway they were good friends before the magic gender bend and the idea of anything romantic or sexual happening between them is something neither of them would seriously consider. At least it seems so to me regarding how CD has treated his characters over the years.
Just a small correction: “Jean” is Jeanie’s original name, not “Gene”.
I’m not so sure we’ve seen her becoming more and more feminine as the strip goes on she even just brought him lunch once. I need to look back but he might have reacted much the same as she does here not realizing how much it meant to the other.
Yeah, you’re right of course, Rob. Been following JeanieBottle for what well over ten years now from the start and over time memory got over ridden by ingrained naming conventions. Matter of fact, turning on the way back machine I recall in the beginning I thought Jean was a strange choice over the normally masculine Gene. In my long years I have never run into a guy who spelled their name Jean, it was always Gene. But in the context of this strip it makes sense.
Interesting limitation on “genie magic” Jeanie reveals here.
As I understand it, her ability to duplicate an item is limited by her ability to mentally envision it. That is why she needed to see the photo of the General Lee in order to recreate it. Likewise, she probably could not duplicate any food item that she had not tasted recently enough to remember the exact taste, smell, texture, etc.
Reasonable. But I am not as interested in the mechanics, as I am in what it might imply about what a genie needs from her master.
In essence, what you are saying is that Jeanie lacks the imagination to conjure up a satisfactory kibble-burger.
More specifically, she lacks the imagination to conjure up a Kibble Burger *she* finds satisfactory. We know she doesn’t have a very good imagination, so this seems like the likely mechanism behind her claim that genie magic can’t do this.
Which *also* fits with her arrogant personality: “I couldn’t do this with magic, so clearly magic can’t do this at all!”
This could also have to do with her subconscious self-image. If Jean thinks of herself as a poor cook (e.g. in her mind it’s “women’s work” and she’s not “really” a woman), then any food she produces will conform to that idea. If she expects that food produced by her will be substandard, then that is what she will get.
(As an aside, is Sartorelli’s a real place or was it created for the story? I can’t find any online references to it.)
Pretty sure it was created for the story.
Ok, just asking because CD has used several real-life businesses from around Cocoa Beach in the story before.
Okay this is where the entire Genie magic thing is starting to break down for me. Specifically regarding, visualization, taste, envision, subconscious self image, etc. She’s a friggin GENIE with the power to alter reality, manipulate matter and energy down to atomic and most likely the subatomic level. We don’t know HOW it works in CDs universe but the results are apparent. Especially with the gender bend aspect. At the molecular level the Y chromosome is being converted to an X and not just any X but one which is compatible with the overall genetic makeup of the organism. Add to that matter and energy is converted to a new form. Regarding the General Lee, that is much more than simple visualization. GL is complex assembly of mechanical and electrical components which I doubt Jean has the ability to visualize. Bottom line is that Genie magic is far more subtle and complex than that, she thinks about/wants something, blinks and it pops into existence. Thinks about a gender change, blinks and it’s done. At that level blinking up a proper Kibbleburger is nothing.
What I am seeing is that a genie usually gets what they expect to get, as long as it’s not something prohibited like when Jean tried to mind-control the cheerleader at Melvin’s school. If Jean believes that she can’t match the quality of an authentic Kibble Burger, then she can’t.
She must have started an OnlyFans account. Lol …or did win the lottery.
OMG I bet she would totally do that. Better not ever let her know about OnlyFans!
God knows what she would do to win some money
It seems CD is at last asking what I believe to be a core question: What does a genie need a master for?
Remember, not all genies are cute girls.
Presumably, not all masters are males.
Caley is technically Araceili’s master and she is a girl (female) (I think.)
Where did Jean carry her wallet?
I think she has a magic pocket that she keep it in that appears and disappears by her command, because, there is definitely nowhere to keep that wallet in that get up that she where right now.
Hammerspace?
when Jean first became a geanie she accidently poofed him some breakfast so he probably thought that is what she did. That is a very trim outfit that looks good on her. Usually she wears something baggie. Maybe she has been taking fashion tips from Araceli. Bet she turned quite a few heads at the mall.
You’re right! Outside of those formal dresses she wore at the New York party they went to, Jeanie rarely chooses anything this figure-hugging.
The breakfast was generic (home-made style meat and eggs etc.), whereas poofing a Kibble Burger is an attempt at recreating a specific item, which probably requires more precision (e.g. compare baking a cake in general vs. baking an exact duplicate of a specific cake). Jean’s argument isn’t “I can’t poof up edible food”, but rather “I can’t duplicate this particular item very well”. Jean could probably make a decent generic hamburger, but it would not be a proper Kibble Burger.
Soooo….let’s see how badly Jean messed up the future with her stunt~
It has occured to me that Neil could use some loving female companionship. Jeanie is to scarey. The girls from Melvin and friends are all in high school and to young. Bay and Berry are both married. Honey is engaged to David. What are the chances of having Crystal and/or Heather doing a crossover for a dinner date with our hero.
You know there is a certain little accountant over at HRC. Being an engineer Neil knows all the really sexy numbers to get her engine purring.
Haha, true. Though sadly, HRC doesn’t exist in the JB-verse. It is, at best, a fictional entity, if it exists at all.
Personally, I think he needs to start treating Jean like a genie. Keep her in her bottle. Ask for some wishes. Have her call him Master. I had always assumed that’s where their relationship was heading.
I don’t think Neil is capable of that yet. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy and Jean was his best friend (maybe his only friend outside of work) before becoming Jeanie. While its agreed that Neil needs to grow a pair and begin enforcing the Master/Genie relationship, I don’t think he’s been pushed over that brink yet.
Not if he wants to end up a stripper or someone’s girlfriend
To be honest, I’m not sure that’s even how it’d work in a traditional genie/master situation, because Neil already spent his three wishes. Jeanie volunteered to stay with him afterward, much like how Jeannie did on the TV show.
So the concept of “make her stay in the bottle, and force her to call Neil ‘Master'” just doesn’t seem like something that would work even with, say, Araceli.
See, I don’t get that. If Neil was only entitled to three wishes then why wasn’t Jeanie forced back to her bottle to await another master to grant wishes to? If Jeanie had the option to stay with Neil and he agreed then that would mean she’s a free genie and can do as she pleases. That doesn’t seem so correct to me. It makes me wonder…what was the point of Jean being turned into a genie if all she had to was grant three wishes and then she’s free?
is that a genie approved laptop she’s using?
Why would it need to be genie-approved?
There is a Sartorelli’s truck stop in Thunder Bay, On. but I couldn’t find out if they made a Kibble Burger. The food did get all good reviews. Lots of locals eat there.
Heh, interesting! CD used to be a trucker, so that might very well be this place’s namesake.
Actually, the restaurant and the burger is named after a friend of mine who is an Ex-Professional-Chef (He may-be making a Kibble burger recipe for for me to share on this site).
Ooh, neat.
Oh yes. I have my own cookbook and that would be an awesome addition. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.
Not sure this has been answered before, but how exactly is the flow of time working here? The comic started in 2009, and the events so far couldn’t have spanned more than a year or two but current strips reference 2020 events. I can only reason 3 possibilities:
A) Comic is in a dystopian reality where covid and SpaceX’s events happened sooner than reality. Could be a side effect of magic.
B) A time skip or several have happened at a few points.
C) Time is irrelevant and while events happen in set sequence, but like The Simpsons the year has no meaning to the in story passage of time.
I think it’s probably “C”.