Celeste (video game)

Celeste is a 2018 precision-platformer video game, originally released for the Pico-8 fantasy console computer three years priorThe original version of the game., then subsequently, onto Windows, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch, XBox, Playstation (PS4, PS5), and more recently, on the Playdate hand-crank gaming console device (albeit by a different developerHteumeuleu's blog announcement on Itch.io regarding the Playdate port of Celeste Classic. (Published April 5, 2023; accessed October 7, 2023)), by Maddy Thorson (previously Matt) and Noel Berry. Along with its soundtrack, composed by Lena Raine, the game itself not only gained prominence in indie game history, but also sustained a diverse fan community up until the present day, a large majority of them being LGBTQ+ people.
==Canon==
===Gameplay===
Celeste has the player traverse platforms and dangers, as well as collecting strawberries as a useful sidequest, with jumping, dashing, and most of all, making use of both precision and environmental devices to land and grab onto hard-to-reach places. The levels themselves are subdivided into chapters, each occuring within a certain location on Mt. Celeste, and gradually increase in difficulty, in terms of the volume of its obstacles, as well as the location of the strawberries, both regular and winged.
===Story===
Madeline leaves home amidst a gusty winter season in order to overcome her greatest fears and disappointments, through her momentous trek towards the peak of Celeste Mountain, a mysterious, towering natural, snow-covered landmass. Along the way upward, she encounters Theo, a fellow mountain climber, and Mr. Shiro, sole owner of the aforementioned Celestial Resort Hotel. It is also there that she encounters the personification of her false self, named Badeline, upon gazing onto a large mirror within another room. Initially fearful of this purple-haired evil persona, having to run and dash away from her antics, in later chapters, Madeline finally musters to reconcile both selves into one as she fully gains the confidence to reach the mountain's true peakAdam Smith's 2018 review of the game itself, on RockPaperShotgun..
In the DLC chapter, aptly titled Farewell, Madeline's story gets expanded a bit further, as well as the creator's double canon acknowledgement that they, as well as the main character, are indeed transgenderCeleste's creator's canon confirmation of the game's main character being transgender. (Originally published on Medium, November 6, 2020, at: https://maddythorson.medium.com/is-madeline-canonically-trans-4277ece02e40), reflecting on her real-life journey going forward.
==Fandom==
Fanfiction is primarily gen.
As of October 2023, there have been 95 total written fanworks on Ao3, with 54 of these being originals.
===Speedrunning and Modding===
Celeste by itself has a thriving speedrunning and modding community scene around it, the majority of which sought to offer their own take and challenges on the gameplay itself. On the modding side, among the most prominent mods so far is the massive 2020 Celeste Spring Community CollabThe GameBanana page of the collab mod itself., which in turn spawned some written fan works concerning some of its lobbies.
==Fan Creations==
===Visual===
File:Del-chan-you-can-do-this-20191215.jpeg|☆*:.｡. YOU CAN DO THIS .｡.:*☆ by DEL-chan(archived ver.)
File:Tumblr fcc274def021933dbb461324bd0beb51 41784ed5 1280.jpeg|saying farewell by dawnflights (archived ver.)
===Aural (Music)===
* Mountain Climbing (Celeste Remix) - by liltommyj
===Written (Fanfiction)===
* Theo's Surreal Mountain Climbing Adventure - by CelestialHorizons - a Celeste fanfic written from the perspective of Theo himself
===Fannish Links and Communities===
* Celeste (Video Game) on Archive of Our Own
* Celeste on FanFiction.Net
==Resources==
*Wikipedia
* Celeste.ink fan wiki
* Celeste Wiki at Fandom.com
==References==