Wakfu

Wakfu (as well as Dofus) is an animesque French setting about a fantasy world. Originally an MMO vidya called Dofus, a Saturday morning cartoon with a lot of action was made to promote the game (like Transformers, but with a monthly sub fee instead of action figures). The cartoon was called Wakfu and was set 1000 years after the game. It ran for two seasons. It became fairly popular, both at home and in foreign countries like Albion and Eagleland. Then, an MMO for Wakfu was made, taking place a decade before the series. Then, a cartoon for Dofus was made, being intended for a younger audience than the first show. Between all these came several movies, a toy line, a tabletop game called Krosmaster, comics, and a Kickstarter for BLU rays and dubbed episodes that /co/ went into hysteric excitement for a month over.

/tg/ likes it for a some reason. Maybe it's the fantasy setting with a fair amount of new concepts, maybe it's the elf panda and Felinid chicks with big hips, maybe it's just the fact that it's just a rather good cartoon. It's hard to pinpoint why, but the series definitely has some nice hips.

If you want to watch the series, both shows have been fansubbed in English, dubbed in French, and is being officially dubbed in English, Polish, and German. Ask /co/ where to look. /co/ loves Wakfu.

The Wakfu game itself is a free-to-play/pay-to-play MMO in closed beta. It's prequel, DOFUS, follows a similar formula; just that it's already been finished for a while.

Incidentally, if you read this and thought "Hey, that sounds cool, I remember when I used to like cartoons..." you really should go watch a bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2JrWJfdoqk

The setting

Krosmos

In the beginning, there was nothing but raw energy. This energy comes in two forms: "Wakfu" is the force of creation, and it occurs when the energy is in a state of movement. "Stasis" is the same energy, but destructive and is stagnant. This energy, in both forms, represents all matter and magic in the setting. Unlike most settings, they are not clear "good and evil" or "order and chaos". They simply are.

Eventually, the Wakfu of the universe formed into a sentient goddess entity called "Eliatrope". The Stasis became the god Great Dragon. The two circled each other in a "dance" (fucking or chemical reaction, your interpretation). Out of this "dance" came a system of stable matter and complex wakfu/stasis flow. It resembles an egg. The "yolk " of the egg is the universe and all the solar systems within. The membrane is the Astral Plane, and in the egg white on opposite ends are the realm of spirits and gods, and the realm of demons (the former on Eliatrope's side near the tip of the egg, the latter near the Great Dragon's on the bottom). When a being dies, their soul travels through the bottom of the egg, flows through the Great Dragon, then enters the body of Eliatrope and returns to the universe to be reborn in a cycle of reincarnation.

Eliatropes

With the universe created, the two gods danced a second time and created the first sentient race. The firstborn twelve hatched from eggs, called a Dofus, directly into the world. Six Dragons, six Eliatropes, one of each born as twins from each Dofus. Rather than dying, flowing through both genesis gods, and being reincarnated into a fetus produced via sexual reproduction in the material plane the first twelve beings return to their Dofus upon death and once both Dragon and Eliatrope sibling perish they gestate and re-hatch from the Dofus egg as newborns. These are powerful conduits of Wakfu, and with proper use they can make beings extremely powerful. Eliatropes and Dragons do not look kindly on it by any means.

The rest of the Eliatrope and Dragon race are born die and reincarnate as usual.

Their race built a great civilization, unlocking the secrets of Wakfu and Stasis as sciences. However, a long war with a race of machines and a few terrible internal betrayals scattered them across the Krosmos.

The World of Ten/Twelve

The Eliatropes and Dragons who survived the war with the machine race abandoned their empire and fled through the Krosmos. Eventually, most settled on a planet with an abundance of Wakfu. Eventually the machine men found them here as well, and wiped out life on the planet. Many escaped to pocket dimensions or took to the stars alone. The firstborn twelve, trapped in the Dofus's, were buried beneath the surface of the world.

Some time later, spirits and demons began to leave their home planes and explore the universe. By chance, a powerful spirit named Osamodas discovered the barren planet where the Eliatropes and Dragons made their last stand. He found only a sign made of platinum which read in flaming red letters "THERE'S NOTHING HERE". He made a home here, and his pets/companions, four great dragon spirits (unrelated to the Eliatrope dragons) played and fought like hounds at his feet. This, in the abundance of such a large amount of Wakfu, created simple life. Osamodas was joined by nine of his fellow spirits, who began to shape the world for life. Together, Sadida and Osamodas created the fauna and flora respectively. Xelor shaped time in ways that made it measurable, and gave it value. Enutrof gave the world gold and currency, Feca gave learning, and so forth. Many spirits began to converge on the world, all eager to be a part of this new wondrous thing. Since the gods had depleted most if their imaginative names by naming planets and celestial bodies during their travels through the Krosmos, they merrly called the planet "The World of Ten".

Humans were born among the many intelligent races, and humans had the most potential to shape Wakfu and Stasis. As the humans were born, they took shapes similar to the gods they worshipped and swore allegiance to as they reincarnated. The belief and servitude of man in turn made the spirits stronger until they became gods.

Meanwhile the race of Demons sought to invade, and take the world for themselves. As Demons came to be in the universe, born of Stasis more thsn Wakfu in contrast to the mainly Wakfu spirits, one called Rushu consumed the rest of the firstborn and declared himself supreme ruler of all successive generations. Rushu came to the World of Ten early in it's formation and demanded to be one of the number of the gods. The Ten claimed balance must be maintained, and as a being of Stasis they could not balance him. In exchange for minor concessions, Rushu agreed to return to his realm and never enter the material plane again ( he is not a clever Demon, simply the one in charge). Of course he breaks his agreement constantly, but has to control portals or cultists to send servants into the world.

Eventually, two more beings joined the gods. Sacrier, a minor and weak spirit, whispered her lessons that "pain is weakness leaving the body" and "blood is a pretty color!" To a lumberjack until he became her prophet, spreading her faith throughout the world. Pandawa was a mortal woman who discovered a simple and effective way to make bamboo wine. This made her popular enough through gratitude that she earned enough worship-equivalent power to become a minor goddess, growing in followers until she was a goddess proper. Thus the world came to be known as "The World of Twelve".

See Also

Krosmaster for the tabletop game that is based on it.