When George RR Martin began writing A Song of Ice and Fire he probably didn’t anticipate the incredible following the characters and the world that he created would one day generate.

Not only did he write a bestselling book series, but the subsequent television adaption, Game of Thrones, has propelled millions to the edge of their couches, cringing at the violence, crying for the lost and riotously cheering for their favorite characters.

The commitment of the fandom can be measured in all sorts of ways, from viewing figures to box set sales. But these numbers don’t tell us much more than that people are watching. To really understand how audiences feel about Game of Thrones we need to listen to them.

We teamed up with Dr. Jillian Ney to analyze conversation within the show’s very own subreddit r/gameofthrones ahead of the coming season. Redditors will come to this forum to discuss characters, conspiracy theories, plot lines and basically every conceivable aspect of the show and books you could imagine.

While Game of Thrones gets millions of mentions across social media, analyzing this subreddit gives us access to the most dedicated of fans. This is a place to discuss the show and nothing else, providing focus and honesty – it goes way beyond the hype measurement potential (but essential vacuity) of a “can’t wait for season 7 of #got” tweet.

We analyzed nearly a million mentions between 4 May and 4 July 2017. This is what we found.

Are you a journalist looking to use data from our Game of Thrones infographic? Email us at react@brandwatch.com for more information.