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.

MY FUCKING HEART pic.twitter.com/GMdBfUzOcx

— sylvi (@SilverSoul164) September 10, 2019

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.

As cool as this could be I wouldn’t get my hopes up till it’s confirmed. Not a fan of queer baiting so I really hope they just come out and say it’s true.

— postliticalbling (@postliticalbli1) September 10, 2019

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.

>left wing politics in indie games
every fucking damn time

— Carabistouilles Temporelles (@ArcticLovv) September 10, 2019

Honestly, while this is cool. I kinda find it pretty dumb that people are now getting interested and buying this game exclusively because of the trans representation that I don't think has even been confirmed and could be bait to get people to buy for political reasons. 1/2

— Joe (@Joemaherz2) September 10, 2019

Trans flag: *exists:
Anime avis: pic.twitter.com/bTu2J36XVX

— Sleepy Sheepy (@FRG_Skye) September 11, 2019

Celeste is currently out on all platforms.