Sage

* In-game
* Render

>
> *"Hey, um, I just wanted to say, thanks! For earlier. When we were hanging out with everyone and like, talking about the future and our plans and stuff... I really appreciated what you said."*
>

**Sage** is a character featured in *Goodbye Volcano High*. He is a student at Volcano High.

## Appearance

Sage is a short microraptor with blue eyes, and he wears a pair of large, round glasses. His body is primarily light peach-colored, while his hair, snout, and arm and tail feathers are violet. He has medium-length wavy hair with an asymmetrical undercut. He typically wears a white shirt with light blue overalls, knee-high yellow socks with a single white stripe, and pink sneakers white bottoms and large, pink bow over the laces. He has long nails that are painted pink, purple, yellow, and white. When baking, he wears a pink apron and pink oven mits.

## Personality

Sage is a sweet, cheerful, upbeat teenage boy. His favorite hobby is cooking and baking, but he wants to become a professional chef, so much so that he claims he has applied to roughly 300 culinary programs.

He and Stella are best friends, and are almost never seen without each other. Sage also has a special relationship with Fang, as both have to deal with their parents not taking their dreams and interests seriously, as well as not showing acceptance about them not wanting to identify as female.

## Background

Sometime before the game began, Sage, after he changed his appearance, approached Rosa on the school roof. Sage said he needed a break from being himself. Rosa replied she understood and asked Sage if he ever felt like support staff for other people, to which Sage said all the time and they love you for being there when they need you, but don't really know you. Rosa said to Sage it was nice to meet the real him now. Later, Sage introduced Stella to Fang, Reed and Trish outside the school.

During the summer, Sage mainly stayed inside to beat the summer heat.

## *Goodbye Volcano High*

### Episode One

While Fang is waiting at the bus stop, Sage and Stella appear and are impressed by Fang's new appearance. Sage gives Fang a homemade cookie which may or may not contain lavender. Sage mentions he spent the summer trying not to melt from the heat, and getting good at baking. When Fang and Stella mention they do not get how baking would beat the heat, Sage mentions they suck and says their cookie privileges are revoked. Sage also jokes about Stella being tried for witchcraft due to her card readings.

### Episode Four

When the group is on the hill imagining their futures, Fang may encourage Sage's dream of becoming a chef. Later, Sage approaches Fang on their way home. Sage thanks Fang and vents about how awful it feels that his family does not take him seriously. Sage expresses his desire to make people feel comfortable around him, then talks about how while his family were accepting of his transition, they were still taking it hard and were uncomfortable. Fang replies they are unsure of "accepting" being the right word, and that it feels more like "playing dumb".

Sage says he tried to make his family laugh, even if it was at his own expense, but feels he dug his own grave (amplified by his choice of clothing), making them dismissive about his gender identity which spilled into other areas of his life, like his dream of being a chef. He no longer wishes to feel like a joke to them, and seems sad his parents seem to have no expectations of him anymore. Fang empathizes due to their own experiences with Sabah and Saeed, but says conforming to their parents' is not what they really want either. Fang says even if their parents are confused, they do not owe them "normal". Sage takes Fang's words to heart.

### Episode Seven

In Sage's bonfire scene, Sage does not blame Fang for feeling awful. Sage mentions he has never seen the group fight like that, and can't believe Naomi said what she said, commenting she did not have to be a jerk about it. Fang replies Naomi probably does not mean everything she said, and blames themself for making Naomi feel frustrated. Sage is glad when Fang volunteers to try to fix things, as he can't bake his way out of this.

Sage asks Fang if they meant what they said, and Fang says if they have to choose between their friends or CalderaFest on their last day of Earth, they would choose their friends. Sage mentions he can't wrap his head around everyone dying, as he should be stressed over hearing back from culinary schools, not the apocalypse, and Fang sympathizes over this. Sage posits Fang could still go on tour, but Fang declines the idea if Trish and Reed aren't with them.

Sage mentions he hates feeling like everything he did was for nothing, and Fang replies maybe it was still worth it since they still had fun playing music anyway. Fang tries to get Sage to see that baking was still worth it, although Sage still feels it was a waste. Fang says no one would ever say his baking was a waste of time, saying, "Nothing you love is a waste." Sage agrees that they love the process of baking itself and serving the finished food to his friends. Fang says that's something the meteor can't take away from him. Sage agrees, looking happier, and Fang leaves.

## Gameplay

Opportunities for affinity:

* Go to the Flybrary during L&L

## Development History

Sage was developed during the earliest stages of *Goodbye Volcano High*, when the game had been imagined as a dating sim. Sage would have been one of the romantic options for Leo. When the dating sim concept was dropped and Leo was cut from the game, Sage was folded into the main story. Concept art of Sage with Leo showed him with a backwards yellow baseball cap and a longer snout, neither of which carried over into his final design.

Sage is first seen from the behind in the Reveal Trailer, and his icon is first seen in the Teaser Trailer. He makes his first camera-facing appearance in the Story Trailer, along with his Legends & Lore character, "Jeff". He was originally meant to be voiced by Daniel MK Cohen, as revealed on the program page for the *Goodbye Volcano High* event at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. However, after story rewrites and explorations of Sage's transgender identity, he was recast with a then-undisclosed transgender voice actor. The page was later updated to reveal his current voice actor, Jensen Trani.

Of the eight lead characters, Sage is the only one who does not have a dedicated character bot in KO\_OP's official Discord server.

## Quotes

* *"I just like... I still can't wrap my head around it all. Like, it's senior year. The biggest thing I should be afraid of is hearing back from culinary schools. Not... everything and everyone dying because of a meteor."*
* *"Uhh... Fang. That was incredibly cringe."*
* *"I'd be scared of you if we weren't already friends. You're SO hot!"* (to Fang on the final day)
* *"To them, I'm like, I don't even know. Playing dress up, like a kid. They laugh and compliment me, but they don't expect anything from me anymore."* (to Fang, at the bus stop, discussing how his parents respond to him transitioning)

## Gallery

### Art

Reference sheetSage and Leo in the Pitch TrailerSage's cellphoneSage's early design (left) holding Stella's hand3D head reference (upper left)Pose testSage with Rosa and Stella in a promotional illustration by Ellen Alsop
### Screenshots

Sage with Stella (bottom left) at the beach campfire in the Reveal TrailerSage with Stella (bottom left) at the beach campfire in the demoSage introducing Stella to the group before the events of the gameSage excitedSage (second from right) at the end of the Story TrailerSage as "Chef Jeff" in *L&L*Trish and SageSage giving Fang a gift on the final dayUnused scene in the game files of Sage building a volcanoSage losing to NaserSage at the beachSage distributing postersSage at promSage with his friendsSage on the final daySage on the final day
## References

1. ↑ https://tribecafilm.com/films/goodbye-volcano-high-2023
2. ↑ KO\_OP Official Discord.

**Other Volcano High students****Abby • Adanna • Alanna • Alexis • Alvin • Bag Girl • Chris • Claire • Damon • Dani • Dee • Des • Francesca • Jess • Kaylani • Kris • KT • Leo • Lina • Marcela • Mark • Marty • Mel • Morgan • Nick • Noor • Rando • Sam • Sarah • Saturday • Serena • Smoker Dino • Steve or Derek • Tom**