“Dragonstone,” the first episode of Game of Thrones season 7, premieres this Sunday. Perhaps you’ve heard. During the lead-up, a LOT of people — fans, companies, random passersby — have been making Game of Thrones-content and releasing into the internet. We couldn’t possibly cover all of it — that would take a whole separate site — but we thought we’d highlight some of the highlights to brighten your day.
Let’s let HBO itself kick us off with a video recapping all the major moments in the first six seasons of the show. Have you forgotten everything you knew about Game of Thrones? This’ll catch you back up to speed.
Next, the funny folks over at The Warp Zone imagined how Westeros would be different if everyone had Facebook, which I think we all agree is the one thing that’s missing from this show.
That’s a quality Littlefinger impression, which isn’t easy considering how many different voices he has.
IISuperwomanII has been putting out a variety of Game of Thrones videos over the past week. This White Walker diss track may be her masterpiece.
Below, Hollywood actors Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell put on silly outfits and mime playing the Game of Thrones theme song. You’re welcome.
And as long as we’re talking about the theme song, musician Carl Catron and several of his friends from “across the globe” put together a jazzy, international remix of it, heavy on the sax.
And as long as we’re talking about remixes, have a listen to Hawkes Hip-Hop’s musical odyssey through the first six years of the show. There’s more than way to refresh yourself around these parts.
Okay, let’s take a break from videos and look at some posters. Fans have gotten creative during the off-season making up their own promotional images for season 7, some of which give HBO’s own work a run for its money. Take a look at some below:
Battle of the Queens! #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/Y5uXoi5s3L
— Game of Thrones Memes (@Thrones_Memes) July 3, 2017
"[EVERYTHING] The Season 7 Trailer got us hyped so my brother whipped this up. Thought you guys might like it. from gameofthrones"
13 days, 13th Lord Commander. The Night King arrives July 16th! #GameOfThrones #WinterIsHere pic.twitter.com/DiTu5O3lJZ
— The Night King (@WightsKing) July 3, 2017
Hound. Mountain. Get hype! #Gameofthrones pic.twitter.com/Mw5FIS4YUS
— The Pixel Factor (@ThePixelFactor) July 3, 2017
9 days until #GameOfThrones season 7! pic.twitter.com/CJafEfx2En
— Game of Thrones Memes (@Thrones_Memes) July 7, 2017
Surely you’ve noticed the image at the top of the post featuring the Night King catching some rays. That was created by artist Martin Bruckner, and comes from a whole series of illustrations he did based on what the Game of Thrones characters did on their summer vacations. The lot of them were featured on Buzzfeed — check them out below, starting with Daenerys and her dragons enjoying a barbecue.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
Hodor and Bran forget their troubles and fly kites.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
Varys and Littlefinger match wits.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
Brienne and Tormund play in the pool.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
Samwell Tarly enjoys an ice cream cone.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
The Hound and the Mountain celebrate the Fourth of July. This might be my favorite.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
At the beach, Jon Snow plays frisbee with Ghost…
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
…the Lannisters behave inappropriately…
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
…and Ned Stark’s severed head spends some quality time with his daughters.
Martin Bruckner / Via Facebook:
For more of Bruckner, hit up his Instagram page. He’s also the author of an illustrated children’s book called I Love You With All My Butt. Don’t act like you’re not intrigued.
Okay, back to videos, high-minded division. NOVA, a science program on PBS, has put together on video on what a real-life dragon would look like, with plentiful visual aids drawn from Game of Thrones. Educated yourself on this impossible situation.
Sticking with classy videos, Lessons from the Screenplay has produced a video analyzing how “Battle of the Bastards” tugs at the heartstrings and thrills the senses. And they cite WiC as a source, thereby demonstrating impeccable taste.
In other things that thrill the senses, Kristian Nairn (Hodor) surprised a bunch of while they were taking a Game of Thrones tour put on by Trip Advisor. Roll the tape.
He is a very large man.
One more video series before we leave: GOThumbs acted out the entire series with their fingers. Aw.
Thumbs.
Next: Isaac Hempstead Wright doesn't expect a happy Stark family reunion
And I couldn’t put this post together without including this clip the cast members discussing their favorite fan theories, which features Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) telling us all about the one where Varys is secretly a “man-maid.”
And really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What other bits of Game of Thrones ephemera have you found out there? Or maybe you’d rather just stop talking about all this stuff and watch the premiere on Sunday.