Fan Spotlight 2024 #1: Rey

Happy Friday everyone! I'm really excited to be doing these fan spotlights again. To start us off, our first fan spotlight of the year is Rey. Rey is a Scooby fanfiction writer, and is also active in the Scooby Discord community, as well as being a regular commenter on this blog.

1. What is your name?
My online names are Rey and Jayden, anyone can pick which one to use, most people online call me Rey. My @ is threephantomrey on all of my accounts.

2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo?
My Scooby origin story is pretty similar to most people's. I grew up with Scooby Doo. The earliest I can remember watching Scooby was when I was 3 years old. My dad is also a Scooby fan and grew up with it too so he bought me Scooby DVDs and I would put them into this little gray TV I had in my room or the TV downstairs early in the morning and just watch Scooby Doo. I had stopped watching Scooby for some time, and then in 2014, I started keeping up with the DTV movies and never stopped since.

3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why?
My favorite Scooby series is The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, and my favorite Scooby movies are Loch Ness Monster and Curse of the 13th Ghost. We'd be here all day if I listed all the reasons why I love them, so I'll just give a few for each.

Loch Ness Monster: I remember watching it the most when I was very young when I had it on DVD so I have nostalgia for it, it has my favorite Scooby song of all time "Brothers Forever," and because it feels like a warm hug from an old friend.

13 Ghosts: The plot, introducing us to Vincent Van Ghoul, the silliness, the atmosphere, the fact that every ghost from the chest is unique, and the dynamic of the gang!

Curse of the 13th Ghost: The way Daphne is written in this movie, her outfit, the way Vincent is written and his outfits, teenage Flim Flam, learning that Vincent's ancestor Asamad Van Ghoul is the 13th ghost, introducing us to Mortifer Quinch, learning that Vincent accidentally opened the chest when he was younger, the Asamad redemption explanation given by Velma, and for being the reason why I'm obsessed with 13 Ghosts! (I already liked it in 2018, but the movie got me to love it more when the trailer dropped in November 2018)

4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online?
I write Scooby fanfiction! Mostly for 13 Ghosts, and a lot of them are about Vincent and Asamad, who are both my favorite non gang members and my two favorite characters of all time! I also had a fan account that was mostly about Scooby from 2018-2022, sometimes I make Scooby related videos on youtube, sometimes I make Scooby edits, in 2023 I made a 13 Ghosts discord server, and also in 2023, I joined a discord server for Scooby fans that I'm still in. Everyone in that server is lovely and I'm so glad to have them as my friends, and I post a lot about Scooby on Tumblr. I also had been in some other Scooby servers too. I love interacting with the Scooby fandom!

5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby?
I don't have an answer for best era, or even favorite era, since a lot of my favorites are from different eras. If I had to pick one, it would either be the 2000s or the 2010s since 2000s has What's New, Loch Ness Monster, and Where's My Mummy, while the 2010s has 13th Ghost, Legend of the Phantosaur, and Shaggy's Showdown. 

6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday?
I need another 13 Ghosts sequel because I want to see Asamad and Vincent again and see them interact with each other. Also, as Asamad's #1 fan, I want to hear his voice and learn more about him. I also want to see Mortifer again, and see Zomba, Rankor, and Marcella again too. I would also enjoy a sequel to Ghoul School because I would like to see the Ghoul School girls again, and I need a Reluctant Werewolf sequel because that movie ended on a cliffhanger. I don't need a Cyber Chase sequel, but I would love to have a Cyber Chase in modern day, and I'd love to see Dapper Jack Rogers again in not a sequel, but a prequel of some sorts.

7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future?
I'd love to see a series that has the gang traveling through time, or just a series that takes place centuries ago or centuries in the future. I'd also love to see a series where the gang are shown to be in college. 

8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why?
My favorite members of the gang are Daphne and Fred. I just think they are really fun characters. Fred always makes me happy and I think Daphne is the gang member that has had the most growth throughout the franchise.

9. What is your favorite villain? Why?
ASAMAD VAN GHOUL AKA ASMODEUS!!!! I love his story and I always thought it was interesting. Other favorites are Zomba because of how creepy she is, Rankor because he can possess people, Marcella because I loved the interactions between her and Vincent, Professor Phantazmo because his Circus of Living Evil was really cool, and the green ghosts from SDWAY because I love their designs. Another favorite of mine is Aphrodite from SDMI because she was creepy, and the concept behind her was really interesting, and I love the execution in the episode.

10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise?
VINCENT VAN GHOUL!!! He appears threatening at first, but he's actually really nice and helpful, and I love his dynamic with the gang. I also love Scooby Dum because he makes me smile and Marcie Fleach because she was such a good character.

11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it?
Unfortunately, I don't have a collection. I threw out all my old DVDs years ago, but I do have the Vincent Van Ghoul doll and I bought a Scooby toy for my dog recently.

12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years?
I think it's a mix of the lovable characters, the franchise trying new things over time, the dedicated fanbase, and the franchise catching the attention of both younger and older generations.

13. What is one fun fact about you in real life?
When I was 4 years old, I dressed up as Velma for Halloween. Also, the game Minecraft made me want to become an artist, and I'm good at bowling.

14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here!
I'm a good swimmer and I enjoy golfing. Something I really enjoy in the Scooby fandom is seeing people's collections. they are always fun to see!

I hope you enjoyed reading this week's fan spotlight and getting to know Rey a little better! If you're interested in reading any of their fanfiction, you can check out their stories on AO3. Be sure to check back next Friday for another fan spotlight!