‘Game of Thrones’ Fans Who Started Season 8 Petition Raise Over $25,000 for Emilia Clarke Charity

The same Reddit community that launched the petition to remake Season 8 is now using the internet for some actual good.

“Game of Thrones” fans are coming together online to raise money for Emilia Clarke’s SameYou charity, which the “Thrones” favorite helped develop to benefit those recovering from brain injuries and strokes. The initiative was started and gained traction in the “Game of Thrones”-themed subreddit “r/frefolk,” the same community that launched the viral petition to remake Season 8. The petition earned over 1.5 million signatures and even prompted a critical response from “Thrones” star Sophie Turner.

The charity initiative was started on Reddit by elle_ellaria, who anonymously spoke to Entertainment Weekly and said that one of the driving forces behind the donations was to show that “Thrones” fans are still a positive bunch who value the cast and crew of the series.

“We wanted to send a message that even though fans have been very vocal in their disappointment with the conclusion of the series, none of that is directed at the cast and crew — all of whom did an incredible job bringing Westeros to life,” the woman said. “Every single department on ‘Game of Thrones’ showed up and showed out. The visual effects were incredible, the costumes, the scoring, the set design, the performances.

The woman continued, “These people were the only ones who stopped the whole thing from looking like a bad cartoon. But the ending can’t fully diminish the pleasures of experiencing the series, or what the characters have meant to viewers over the years.”

In just over two days, the Reddit campaign to raise funds for Clarke’s charity has earned over $25,000 and counting. The group set up a JustGiving campaign page where fans across the world can donate money. Clarke revealed earlier this year she suffered life-threatening brain aneurysms during the making of “Thrones” and credited the show with helping her power through the recovery pain and fear.

As for the viral petition that Turner called “disrespectful,” the woman told EW that it was ultimately a “tongue-in-cheek” joke that started on Reddit as a direct reaction to the showrunners and not the entire series itself. The petition caught on with fans but the intent was never to disrespect the cast and crew. Fans can donate to Clarke’s charity here.