And I'll throw in another. What's DYOS actually about? I just don't get it. And what's the consul? I see awesome pictures but I just don't get it.
I'll cover this one.
Basically, it's a "comic jam" dating way back from 2003 where people get together to "draw" a collaborative comic (or in many cases cut-and-paste screenshots and pictures from the internet together). The idea was one person would post a comic, the next person would post a following comic, and then a third person, and so on.
Initially it was mostly poking fun at CFC and particular posters. It quickly took on a space opera feel due to contributors (mostly CivGeneral) using private armies and space fleets in their comics. Later each thread had a basic plot that was supposed to drive the story, for example, an absurd quest (DYOS 5 and 6), strange events happening on the forums (DYOS 4, 7 and 8), a rebellion by old avatars (DYOS 10), and a hacker running amok (DYOS 11).
The Consul (intentionally misspelled from "Council") is a result of the contributor consensus after DYOS 9 that there needs to be a place to discuss ideas, resolve disputes, and so on. Basically a place to chat and, if needed be, deal with trollish/uncooperative behaviour.
The current thread (DYOS 11) is a bit messy but it is wrapping up and a new one will start soon that should be more accessible to newcomers. And we welcome new contributors. All you need to get started is MSPaint.
There's also a spin-off thing (DYOS 10.5, or "Plans Within Plans") which is a continuation of DYOS 10; it exists mainly as an experiment to write/draw a more "serious" story as opposed to the more playful/chaotic banter of mainstream DYOS.