Game of Thrones stars name who their characters should hook up with

We’re three days away from the Game of Thrones season 8 premiere, and the internet is going properly Thrones crazy. We’re gathering some of the lighter, funnier, weirder stuff here so you don’t miss a thing!

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Let’s start with the obvious: USA Today asked the stars of the show who they think their characters should hook up with. This is hard-hitting stuff, folks:

Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) chose Daenerys Targaryen.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) chose Cersei, because of course he did.
Maisie Williams (Arya) and Sophie Turner (Sansa) chose each other, because also of course they did.
Carice van Houten (Melisandre) wants a “hot steaming affair with Cersei.”
Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) chose Varys. “I think me and Varys would get on. I’d do the cooking.” This is a show I’d watch.
Kristofer Hivju wants Tormund to be in a throuple with the Hound and Khal Drogo. Also a show I’d watch.
Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion) chose Cersei, but that it “wouldn’t last two minutes. She’d have me poisoned and beheaded by the Mountain and then it would be all over.”
Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) interviewed together. Anderson, being a good press buddy, picked Gendry, but Dempsie picked the Hound, who is surprisingly popular. “I just think the Hound is sort of pure odd couple, sitcom material with pretty much anyone. We’ll see where that goes.”
Conleth Hill (Varys) and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran) also interviewed together, and they chose each other. “It would be courtly love,” Hill said. “Like Driving Miss Daisy.” We’re building a whole programming block here.

Time for a quick break. Please enjoy this version of the Game of Thrones opening theme created in VR:

"[Spoilers] Created the GOT opening scene in VR, watcha guys thinking? :) from gameofthrones"

Okay, back to our very serious programming block. We present you with a question: which male Game of Thrones stars will be keeping their beards now that the show is over? Vulture was on the case:

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Rory McCann (the Hound) are keeping their beards.
Richard Dormer still has his beard, but it’s for another TV show. Once he’s done with that, the beard goes.
John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) still has his beard. “I kind of like it,” he said. “When I take it off I can barely recognize myself!”

HBO /

Jerome Flynn (Bronn) has a trimmed version of his Game of Thrones beard. Ditto Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister).
Liam Cunningham had a beard before he joined the show; he just lets it run wild before each new season.
Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy) has shaved his mutton chops. “That’s like a biker beard or something. I think it would have been a little over-the-top!”
Kristofer Hivju has kept his magnificent red beard. His wife likes it. However, he’s looking for a role that would allow him to shave it. I’m not sure I could handle a shorn Tormund.

Before we move on, please enjoy this Game of Thrones/Westworld mashup break:

"[NO SPOILERS] Spent 8 months on this GOT & Westworld mashup! Just got it ready in time for the final season! What do you guys think? from gameofthrones"

Remember when the Stark kids were young and innocent and baby-faced? Here’s a photo to remind you:

#GameOfThrones cast in 2009
Maisie Williams was 12,
Sophie Turner was 13,
Alfie Allen was 23,
Richard Madden was 23,
Kit Harington was 22 pic.twitter.com/HRKawnXtLE
— Funny Tweets (@FunnyThingsUK) July 26, 2017

That’s Kit Harington, Richard Madden, Alfie Allen, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams all the way back in 2009, two years before the show premiered. PEOPLE asked the actors to comment on the photo with the benefit of hindsight. “I remember this day very distinctly,” Kit Harington said. “It was in Belfast and we went along to a book signing that George [R.R. Martin] was having. This is the first time I ever really posed for a photo, and it was really bizarre because this is right at the beginning, none of us know what’s going to happen at this point.”

Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner had stronger reactions:

Williams: “Okay, two of these five people are prepubescent. Why do five of five people look prepubescent?”
Turner: “Prepubescent, that’s so true. It looks like a bunch of inbred cousins.”
Williams: “Oh God, it’s just awful. It does like [they’re] going to their first-ever book shop.”
Turner: “Everyone just looks so weird!”

Well, you were all super young, so, try not to be too hard on yourselves.

Next. Build your own Small Council!. dark

For our last break, here’s a vision of what Game of Thrones might look like if it were made in the ’80s:

"[NO SPOILERS] If Game of Thrones had been made in the 80s… (details in comments) from gameofthrones"

I’m not sure what television show or movie that footage came from, but this is yet another show I want to watch. Does anyone have a clue where that’s from?

And finally, starting tomorrow, Shake Shack restaurants nationwide will feature special Game of Thrones-themed menus, complete with Valyrian pronunciation guides. Take a look: