Monday, 1 July 2013

The Coffee Shop Collections by ChocoBetty


Nearly everyone has a collection of something, or they could be starting a collection.  They may have a shelf full or a house full of souvenirs, memories saved on a film, a photo, or a vast collection of spaceships, aliens, books, games you name it.
Every month we’ll be featuring people who have a collection of things that mean something to them, of Torchwood, of Doctor Who.  It may be that they’re a Cosplayer, or a collector of memorabilia dating back to their childhood, they might have something that there’s only several or maybe only one in existence. This page is dedicated to the fans of Project: Torchwood who want to share with the world what it is that they love about Torchwood.

In this Issue ChocoBetty tells us about her collection.

When did your collection start?

ChocoBetty: I don't know if you can really call it a collection. I just made the collages of pictures, apart from that I just have the boxset of Season 1 and 2 and "Children of Earth". The pics were just what I liked on the internet. Actually, I got a little bit obsessed with John pictures. He's quite the eye-candy.  I started collecting the pics some time before putting the collages together; I think it was late April.


How long did it take to put together?

ChocoBetty: Putting the whole thing together took way longer. I made one collage for every guest attending FedCon and with the last minute changes I didn't have one for another guest because I didn't know. I found a great program for doing collages online and bought it. I will use that one in the future as well. I think John took me the longest; he was the last collage I made. I think two hours or so for the first composition. As you can see the second ones are just rearranged images on another background. I loved the pic of Eve in the Hub - I just had to use it as a background! And when I found the pic of John at the end of CoE with all the space to arrange the pictures, I knew I wanted to give that one a try as well. The pics I chose are either favourite moments of mine or I just liked them.


How long have you been a fan of Torchwood?

ChocoBetty: I'm a Torchwood fan since the mid of March 2013 I'd say. I watched "Countrycide" a couple of years back when it aired on German telly, but I just didn't get hooked. I didn't get what all the fuss was about. I know, a bad choice for a first episode, but it was a Saturday afternoon, I turned it on and that was the episode that was on. I can't even tell you if that had been before or after seeing Gareth David-Lloyd at FedCon. That was the FedCon in 2010 where James Marsters attended as well. I was wondering about whom he was talking - this John-guy and kissing a guy... Well, I've been a fan of slash-fanfiction before, so it didn't make me cringe in any way. I actually talked to Kai Owen after the closing ceremony of last year’s FedCon.

Were you a fan of John Barrowman first or was it from watching him in Torchwood and Arrow that got you hooked on him?

ChocoBetty: I was a Torchwood-fan first, I would say. I fell in love with the character of Captain Jack Harkness. But I wanted to check out his other work. I saw him in "Desperate Housewives"
when it aired on German telly, but like before: He didn't do anything to me. Blame it on the dubbing. A lot of an actor’s work comes from his voice. I don't know if it is just my imagination or if he really talks in a lower voice as Malcom Merlyn on Arrow. So I got the season of DH with him in and I got "Shark Attack 3" - oh boy! It was cheap - the DVD. And of course it does have this infamous line in it! But it took me some time to get through it. No German subtitles - and the dubbing... well, they ERASED the infamous line!
What a shame!

But I think what made me a fan of John was his singing voice. I'm singing myself since I can speak. At least it feels that way. So with the DVDs I got "Music Music Music" - oh and the day everything arrived was my birthday and a friend presented me with some more of his music. "Angel" is still one of my favourite songs. I love musical theater, but pop music is sometimes just a little bit more to my liking. I was surprised to discover he had recorded two songs from "The Boy from Oz" - I saw the musical when it was on Broadway (I saw it actually six times in 2004 - huge Hugh Jackman-fan back then, still follow his work but a little less close). So "Don't cry out loud" is another one of my favourites. I like his choices of songs and I like his voice. What he chose is very similar to the songs I like. (Apart from that I think our music taste differs. I'm a rock music fan.)

What is your favourite photo and what is your most prize possession?

ChocoBetty: My favourite photo... I think the one with John that got taken by the photographer at the photo op at FedCon is one of my favourite - after all it's my wallpaper on my computer. Although the pics that got taken on Thursday night are pretty hilarious in a lot of ways. I have to admit that I'm not too fond of pictures of myself most of the time. And I love the photoshop picture my best friend created to get it signed by John. I got a copy printed for myself to keep.

Most prized possession - That may sound cheesy, but my most prized possessions aren't the ones that you can put on display. My most prized possessions are my memories. Like getting a friend to have a special moment with Eve at FedCon - because we were at the right location. Like the moment I had with Kai after the closing at FedCon 2012. When it comes to John.. Too many great moments. I think I will always treasure his first tweet to me - or when he mentioned at "The Rush" that he saw my tweet earlier that morning. I created a video for him, a German lesson in preparation for FedCon. Those are things that I cherish. I love my pictures and autographs, but I had other moments with him that will always be special to me.

Do you regularly frequent the FedCons and other cons where Torchwood people will be at?

ChocoBetty: I attend FedCon since 2009 on a yearly basis. I get my ticket for the next year during the weekend. I have been to RingCon three times, I was at the Captains Table, a FedCon special and I will attend TrekGate for the first time this year.

I limit it to one or two cons a year, I can't afford more at the moment and I don't want them to become something "normal".

What is it about John and Eve and in fact any of the Torchwood cast that you've met mean to you? How do you feel inside when you meet the stars of Torchwood?

ChocoBetty: Since both Kai and James weren't about Torchwood when I met them I can't really say anything about how I felt at that time. Well, I liked James from Buffy and I loved his performance in "P.S. I love you" - and of course I mentioned that to him. I think he was glad that there was someone who wasn't all about "Torchwood" at that moment. Both Eve and John made me pretty nervous, although I have to admit that John had the most emotional impact on me. I think it has something to do with his personality. Apart from that: They are still just people. I like people. I like to talk, to have a chat, to exchange opinions, to get a different point of view or an inside on some things. I am a fangirl but I also know that they are doing a job. For me it is a special moment, for them it is kind of normal. I think that sums it pretty well up how I feel. I like to know that I do make memorable moments to some of them, too. I loved being the one to welcome Eve to the FedCon family.


The pics I'm adding to this post aren't mine. These are the ones my best friend has created. She goes by her artist name Niniel

The shirts are just in the way how I ordered them. Just showing off.


The 10 Commandments of Torchwood 3, a torchwood fanfic | FanFiction




Torchwood doesn't belong to me. I just wrote down the 10 commandments of Torchwood 3 - everything got taken from the show! I don't make any profit out of this ficlet. - ChocoBetty




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