Celeste DLC Features Clues Which May Suggest Main Character Madeleine Is Trans
A final DLC chapter in indie darling Celeste released on Monday has sparked fervent fan interpretation as eagle-eyed viewers noticed small details which may suggest that main character Madeline is transgender.
Celeste proved to be one of the most popular and beloved indie games of 2018 not only for its challenging platform puzzles but for its touching story about main character Madeline dealing with anxiety and inner demons as she climbed a seemingly-insurmountable mountain. In the recently released Farewell DLC, Madeline returns to Mount Celeste to attempt to bring back her recently passed Grandma. At the end of the chapter, she video-chats on her computer with Theo, a friendly Influencer-type she met on her previous journey. During this scene, eagle-eyed fans noticed some clues which could be interpreted as suggestions that Madeline is a transgender woman.
Twitter user @queenmawina first noticed that a sticker of the LGBT and Trans flags was on Madeline's computer. Later that day, user @SilverSoul164 tweeted some other potential clues, such as a picture of a young Madeline with short hair and a pill bottle which could be interpreted as hormone therapy medication.
Since the theory remains unconfirmed, some have linkened the images as "queerbaiting," a practice in which creators use subtle suggestions about a character's sexual orientation as a marketing tactic, without providing concrete confirmation.
While the creators of the game have not made any explicit statements about Madeline's gender, the inclusion of the flags was likely a very meaningful choice by Thorson, as game composer Lena Raine is trans and Matt Thorson identifies as non-binary. The flags could just as easily be the creators' way of voicing their support for the trans and LGBT communities instead of a hint towards a grand truth about Madeline's gender. Nevertheless, some in the transgender community latched on to the idea and riled up a familiar community of gamers who get upset when, say, the transgender community insists The Minecraft Bee Is Trans.
Celeste is currently out on all platforms.
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Nothing_will_shine
Specially despise them doing this "at the end" so to speak. Gotta be progressive and an SJW cuck, but we need to keep it a scret until the end of the game so we don't get refunded into bankruptcy. It's like they are trying to actively trick people and shielding themselves from getting cancelled.
No, you cunts, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either be open about this from the get go and get dismissed into not selling a single copy or shut the fuck up about your diversity.
What Ever
Color me surprised at this development. What a bold and original decision.
Turahk
Uhh, post a screenshot of the moment because I have no idea what this is about? If I'm supposed to click the first tweet then I can't, it's protected.
ralphie1231
Here you go.
zeoxdragon
Are you serious? that's it? that's all this stupid thing? a super small trans flag next to a gay flag? this is why people are killing each others?
This is not an "in the face" thing, this is literal pixels, for fuck sake it doesn't even mean that the main character is trans, the only thing it tell us is that it supports trans and gay rights.
This is stupid, every side on this is stupid, it's the exact same thing that happen in "a hat in time", just stupid.
ralphie1231
Well, if you take a closer look, in the first screenshot there's a bottle of pills on the nightstand (which some have interpreted to be hormone medication) and a picture of Madeline with short hair (which makes it look like she used to be a boy). Disclaimer: I'm not entirely convinced of that particular theory, but that's how other people have interpreted it.
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Ikagura
I'm sorry, this game seems to hard for me…
A Wolf
I'm pretty sure at this point, and at least in this situation, people who are genuinely mad at this implied circumstance is at least probably transphobic to a degree.
TheStupidRaptor
And by trans do they just mean "used to be a guy but isn't anymore" or "actually has a penis right now and won't get rid of it"?
Nedhitis
Only surprising to those who were unaware of the developers' backgrounds. This could easily be true, really. The game often markets itself and the protagonist as "a journey of self-discovery" which, just yesterday, I was casually just thinking that it could be a double entendere about trans people, given the developers' open support of LGBT people. And honestly, I an fine with it if that is the case, and it was perhaps prudent of the developers to not hint at it until this late, given today's climate regarding trans people. Revealing it sooner would have simply made thousands of people decide on whether or not to buy the game based on politics instead of actual gameplay.
Kappapeachie
and i commend them for that.
HurtlockeR
Hootanic
don't care – if it's still a good platformer, will play – if it's terrible, I won't. That's my criteria for playing it or not.
xTommyChief343x
It is a good platformer. However, this chapter in particular is just insanely brutal, and it's mostly for those who are seasoned players.
Judge of Dredd
As @tino768 said earlier, does it even matter if Madeleine is trans? To me, it doesn't. It doesn't bother me as to what gender/sexuality a character I play as in a video game is because I know it's fiction.