*NSYNC Fandom Primer (basic)

*NSYNC

Introduction
This is a basic introduction to the guys and the fandom. I'm working on a more elaborate one, but that will probably not be done for some time. The members of *NSYNC are frequently referred to as "puppies," which is a fandom in-joke from On The Bus 3 (and much easier to type than *NSYNC). I'll be using "puppies" here too.

Here they are, in all their puppy glory. They are, left to right: Chris, Joey, Lance, JC, Justin.

*NSYNC"

Note Joey's hands on Lance's hips. That kind of physical contact is pretty common in photoshoots, and it's up in the air how much is scripted and how much is spontanous. Considering that a great deal of close contact happens when they're not at a shoot, I'm leaning towards spontanous. Here are some other examples of group pictures from the early days, some slightly later stuff, this and this from 2000, and what they look like now. For even more fun, try to find all the hands. There's usually at least a couple unaccounted for.

The band formed as an acappella group, and they're amazingly talented vocally (O Holy Night and I Thought She Knew are the best examples of their acappella). They also are very skilled dancers, especially Justin. All of them had performance experience already behind them when they joined the group, and they are very much professionals and perfectionists when it comes to their work. Everyone in the group has also become involved in areas other than performance, like songwriting, managing, or producing.

They go on tour at least once a year, usually for several months at a time, and when they aren't touring they're recording or doing other projects. They also do a ton of appearances and interviews for talk shows, music television, and print media, as well as photoshoots and video shoots. All of them have horror stories of fans, but they're generally considerate and polite towards them, and don't let their fans inhibit them from clowning around in public.

They all currently live in Orlando, their "home base" as it were and where the band formed. Lance lived in Mississippi for a while, and still has a house there and on the Florida/Alabama border. JC and Justin also have houses in Los Angeles. Justin, JC, and Chris all lived together in Orlando during the earlier days of the group, and Lance has had roommates in his Mississippi house. Chris and Justin now live five minutes from each other, and JC lives across the street from Joey. All five live in gated communities, because if they don't, everything in their yard that isn't nailed down (and some stuff that is) gets stolen.

They're all very protective of each other, and joke around very comfortably during interviews and shoots. All of them claim to be each other's best friends and brothers. The intimacy between them is phenomenal. People who've met them in real life say they're sweet and good-natured, and don't take themselves too seriously.

Their families have been supportive, and claim to get along personally. All the guys say that their families keep them grounded. Lance's mom and sister work for his music management company, and Joey's dad recently joined a group called Not So Boyband for men 35+ and opened some of his son's shows with it. Lynn Harless still travels with her son Justin on occasion, and Justin is very close to his grandparents. Chris has also remained close to his mom, four sisters, and grandmother. Joey's older brother Steve toured with them for a while and lived with Joey and Lance on their bus, but Joey kicked him off recently--the general fannish consensus was because Steve's a ho and kind of skanky.

Chris recently broke his hand, and no one knows exactly why--Chris won't say. Joey was also injured this summer, when a trapdoor closed on his leg. Nothing was broken, but there was a finger-deep hole in the leg just below the knee, knocking him out of commission for a few weeks. Justin has tripped on a wet stage and fallen on his thumb, breaking it, and Lance injured his ankle in a rehearsal for a Saturday Night Live performance. In 1999 Lance collapsed following the Summer Jam concert, and has confirmed he has a mild heart condition.

Dynamics in Fiction

Since *NSYNC is a real band, and the guys are real people, there's an interesting dynamic in *NSYNC fanfiction. The sources of canon are print, radio, and television interviews, photoshoots, appearances, concerts and performances, candid shots, articles, CDs, and basically any depiction of them in the public forum. Gossip and speculation abounds, of course, but actual factual private knowledge of the guys, based on personal experiences or anecdotes, is often considered not relevent to the fandom or used in fanfiction. We're writing about the public images of *NSYNC, not the actual people themselves.

The band is generally written as being deeply intimate, whether that's in a sexual or non-sexual way, and as extremely close friends. They spend a lot of their free time together as well as when they're working. They've said in interviews that, even after being together for months on a tour, within three days of the start of the break they all start to gravitate towards each other.

When touring, they usually travel on buses, and for a while they all shared the same bus for cost reasons. They could probably now afford a bus for every person (as the Backstreet Boys did on their latest tour) but they still share buses--one assumes by choice. The latest tour, PopOdyssey, had Joey and Lance on one bus, and JC, Chris, and Justin.on the other. Bus assignments are often manipulated by the writer to accomodate the pairing the writer is going for. Photo shoots and dance rehersals also feature prominently as plot devices. They all have houses, but they spend a lot of time hanging out with each other and sleeping on each other's couches.

The dedication and sometimes dangerous obsession of their fans is often dealt with, as well as the pressures of fame and expectations, the issues having to do with being famous from a young age (particularly Justin), and the stresses of touring and performing. Age differences between them are also addressed in the fiction, particularly in Chris/Justin fic.

Concerning appearnces: Chris and Joey tend to be more padded than JC or Justin, who are lean and muscular and wiry. Lance moves between the two camps, although he's going into a muscular phase right now. A lot is done with positive and negative body images in the fiction, and Chris and Joey's cuddliness is usually praised. Justin has grown from 14 to 20 in *NSYNC and he and Lance have matured physically over the years.

Hairstyles also change a lot, although Lance has been consistantly blond-tipped for roughly four years, and both Joey and Chris almost always have facial hair of some type. Justin is usually curly-haired but has been shaving it short in the past year or so, and JC has been growing his longer. For a while, Chris had long braids he wore in ponytails at the top of his head (don't ask) and Joey was dying his hair every shade under the sun. All of them consider gel their friend.

The Lawsuit

The Lawsuit is one of the most dramatic periods in the canonical history of the group, and probably the one most misunderstood by the fans. *NSYNC will not speak about it, so much of our information is from unofficial or unaffiliated sources. This discussion of those events is what I've gleaned from the books and online sources I've found which have discussed it.

From the beginning, *NSYNC had two contracts with two different entities. The first was with Lou Pearlman, head of Tran Continental Media, and it specified they would be signed to a music label with a domestic-distribution deal within a given amount of time. This was made in April 1996. Essentially, Lou financed them and brought them to the attention of record companies, and in return claimed certain percentages of their profits.

The second was the real record deal, made with RCA Records, the American subsidiary of the huge international music powerhouse BMG Entertainment (in Germany). This supposedly a standard domestic-distribution record deal; however, RCA never released them domestically, simply subleasing the rights to their music from their sister label Ariola in Germany. *NSYNC would later use this as grounds to break their contract with both Trans Continental and RCA.

By 1999, after several years abroad, *NSYNC had finally made a successful debut into the US music market. N'Sync had been incredibly popular, and both it and Home for Christmas went multi-platinum during this time. But the strain on the group was incredible, and there was a great deal of pressure on them to perform and excel under incredibly difficult circumstances. They embarked the Ain't No Stopping Us Now tour in March and were on the road for almost nine months all told, while also trying to simultaneously record their new album for RCA.

On May 12, 1999 Lance collapsed in the middle of the tour, following the filming of a televised Summer Jam concert. He had been sick with the flu recently and never had a chance to recover from it, and the medical consensus was that exhaustion, as well as the flu and a mild heart condition, caused his collapse. He missed two concerts the following nights, and then rejoined the group on tour.

Later that summer, Chris went to Lou Pearlman to ask for money to get a new apartment. Chris was still living in the same place he'd been since before they started the group four years ago, and wanted to move. Lou told him there wasn't any money available from their sales, but he could lend him some. Chris checked the contracts they had with RCA and Trans Continental and discovered the full percentages Lou was taking from them, as well as a clause in the RCA contract promising them a domestic-distribution record deal (technically, the fact that they released first in Germany was a violation of this contract).

In September 1999, *NSYNC announced that it was breaking its contract with RCA Records and Trans Continental Media and signing on with Jive Records. Jive, and their parent company Zomba, were the actual source of the money for lawyers and legal battles for the next three months, as at that moment, all of *NSYNC's assets were tied up with Trans Continental and RCA.

BMG Entertainment, Louis Pearlman, Trans Continental Media, and Trans Continental Records co-filed a 150 million dollar lawsuit against *NSYNC, Jive, and Zomba for breach of management and recording contracts. This was intended to prevent them from moving fully to Jive, and recording or releasing anything under the name *NSYNC. Pealman's lawyers told MTV the lawsuit was intended to keep *NSYNC from existing. VH1 was told Trans Continental Media was operating under a "scorched-earth" legal policy, and were determined to "shut them [*NSYNC] down. We believe there will be no tours, no performances, no rehearsals or recordings" (J. Cheney Madison, counsel for Trans Continental Media).

*NSYNC then counter-sued with 25 million dollar claim against Trans Continental Media and Louis Pearlman (they did not file against BMG Entertainment). Their statement declared "Trans Continental's conduct with regard to *NSYNC is the most glaring, overt, and callous example of artist exploitation that the music industry has seen in a long time." In their counterclaim, their written response to the lawsuits against them, they stated Pearlman was "an unscrupulous, greedy, and sophisticated businessman who posed as an unselfish, loving father figure and took advantage of our trust." JC's statement was even more blunt: "while hugging us and calling us "family," [he] was picking our pockets, robbing us of our future, and even endangering our health." The last is presumably a reference to Lance's illness earlier in the year.

One music industry attorney, Jill Berliner--who did not even represent *NSYNC--went as far as to file papers in court as an expert witness to help argue their case, stating that *NSYNC's deals with Trans Continental were "classic contracts of adhesion imposed on an uncounseled and unskilled, highly suceptible group of teenagers." Berliner was futher quoted in Rolling Stone's December 29th 1999 issue as commenting that "the overview, the combination of documents, is just breathtaking in its aggressiveness." (This paragraph taken from Adams, 53)

The case was heard in Federal Court in Orlando by Judge Anne Conway, who was very interested in how Pearlman had benefited financially from his association with the group over the years. In a hearing the day before Thanksgiving, Trans Continental attempted to convince her that *NSYNC could not move to Jive Records until a trial took place, which could take until 2002. Judge Conway was more interested in how Pearlman had benefited financially from his association with the group, and ruled that the band could go ahead and switch labels--and recommended RCA, Trans Continental, and *NSYNC undergo mediation and settle out of court. The suit was finally settled December 23, 1999.

A quote from *NSYNC's official website following the settlement:
"Tbanks to the efforts of everyone involved in recent negotiations, multi-platinum group *NSYNC and the Zomba Group have settled out of court with BMG Entertainment, Louis Pearlman, and Pearlman's Trans Continental Group. All parties involved are extremely pleased with the speedy resolution of this matter. *NSYNC will be able to build on the international success they have enjoyed with BMG and Trans Continental through a new worldwide recording contract with the Zmba Group's Jive Records. Although specific of the settlement cannot be disclosed, *NSYNC will enjoy the right to control their name. In addition, the Zomba Group has extended its distribution rights with BMG for North America. [This refers to the fact that BMG Entertainment actually distributed all of Jive's music in the United States, and owned 20% of Zomba Group.] *NSYNC, Zomba, BMG, and Trans Continental look forward to benefiting from the future sucess of NS. there will be no further comment regarding this settlement.

An accounting of Lou's stranglehold on their money (from Billboard, Nov 13, 1999 v111 i46 p10) is here:
According to the papers, Pearlman or his entities received 55% of all gross touring revenue, plus 37.5% of the net; 75% of all record royalties and 100% of any advances; 80% of the merchandising; 100% of the music publishing; and 55% of gross celebrity endorsement monies, plus 37.5% of the net from such deals.

Individuals

The puppies are listed here in descending order of age. Bear in mind that the credo of the fandom is They're Better In Motion. Many pictures of the pups will make you cringe for hair, clothing, or other miscellanous crimes against fashion. But when you see them move, you forgive them everything. Even the clumsiest of them moves like satin over skin, and their dancing is the stuff wet dreams are made of.

Chris Kirkpatrick is the oldest, having just turned 30. He founded the band, and is one of the wilder and kookier members. He's short, energetic, and willing to say anything in interviews. He's a tenor who generally takes the countertenor/falsetto range during their harmonies. He runs a clothing design firm called FuMan Skeeto, with a skater/anime theme. Often written as funny, crazy, fiercely loyal, original, generous, sometimes insecure, and almost always hyperactive. He was born in complete poverty to a single teenaged mother, and has managed to make it to the top without any help from anyone else, and he's usually portrayed as very independant. He's the only one with post-high school education (an associate's degree in Psychology and Music) and considered most likely to have Experimented with alternate lifestyles. Slashed with everyone, especially Justin and Lance. Very close friends with Justin in real life.

JC Chasez (pronounced "Shaa-zay") is one of the two main lead singers. He's 25, and sings tenor. He's often written as very spacey and flakey, but sensitive and sweet, creative, perceptive, and willing to please. This is when he isn't being written as tired of being taken advantage of and/or teased for above qualities. In real life he writes many of the band's songs, including some real TMI gems like "Digital Getdown" and "Up Against The Wall." He sings with a close-eyed intensity that is deeply compelling, and his love of music is a frequent subject of fic. A pretty little kitten of a man, and most subject to being "femme'd". Photos of him tend to be somewhat misleading, as he tends to photograph as quite slender and fine-boned, but is surprisingly broad-shouldered and muscular when you see him live. Slashed with everyone, but most often with Justin and Lance.

Joey Fatone is 24, and sings low tenor/baritone in the harmonies. He's a big, good-natured goof and also very sweet and friendly. Often written as the group caretaker and designated comforter and as very hard to ruffle. JC has said he can make a gray day a sunny one. Loves Superman and collects memorabilia, as well as having a Superman tattoo. Has a reputation for being a ladies' man, and is the one most likely to get written as the Token Straight Man in the group. However, he's very affectionate and physical with the other guys. He has a daughter, Brianna, who's around 6-7 months old. He's another one who has misleading photos, as he doesn't do well in staged photoshoots and his best pics are usually candids. When you see him live, he's very handsome and charming. Again, Joey is slashed with everyone, but especially with Lance and Chris. Joey is almost never heard in their harmony mixes, but he has a lovely voice when he's given solos. Very close with Lance in real life.

Lance Bass (pronounced like the fish) is the bass singer. He's 22, and from Mississippi, and you can hear the drawl sometimes. Frequently slashed with absolutely everyone in the group--Lance is semi-officially The One Most Likely To Be Gay In Real Life, although there's no hard evidence to support that. He runs a couple of musical management and film production companies, and is very business-oriented. Lance is the most devoutly Christian of the group, although all of them are very spiritual. Has a reputation for being quiet and reserved, which in fic can range from "innocent, sweet, and shy" all the way to "a subtle, Machiavellian, cold-hearted bastard"--there's a great deal of variation in his characterization. Has been the most vocal regarding the rivalry between BSB and *NSYNC (saucer of milk, table five!), although he's getting better. He recently starred in the romantic comedy On The Line, which his company produced. Generally closest with Joey in real life.

Justin Timberlake is the youngest member, at 20. He sings tenor, and has an interesting voice, nasal but surprisingly attractive. He's very talented vocally, with a wonderful ability to do R&B-style flourishes and riffs, and also loves to do beatbox and vocal percussion. Often written as sweet, good-natured, somewhat arrogant and cocky in a teenage-boy sort of way, charming, maybe a little messed up, and occassionally an asshole. He's the "Golden Boy" of the teenie audience, and there's a lot done with the pressure that puts on him. However, for the most part, Justin seems to have stayed a basically nice person, despite the adulation of millions. He writes a lot of songs for the group, and is a superb dancer--he moves like sex on legs. He's also a talented basketball player, and buys a lot of cars (he's rich, he's young, he's a guy, go figure). His girlfriend is fellow pop singer (and MMC alum) Britney Spears, and this is often an interesting issue in fanfiction. Justin is slashed with everyone, but probably least often with Joey. A close friend of Chris in real life.

Pairings

On the subject of pairings, *NSYNC fandom has a lot of them--ten, to be exact--and the fandom has given them shorthand names. Threesomes and group stories are also extremely popular, and one of the best reasons to get into this fandom. The only thing better than two pretty boys doing each other are three or four or five of them. The pairings are:

JC/Lance = Basez

JC/Justin = teerlove (from their time as Mousketeers together), Joshtin, JuC

JC/Chris = TrickC, JCK, Kittentrick (JC's often called a kitten by fans)

JC/Joey = JoeC

Chris/Lance = FuLa (Fu from FuMan Skeeto), Trickyfish (Bass=fish)

Chris/Joey = Phatrick (one of Joey's nicknames is PHAT-one), Choey, JoChr

Chris/Justin = Timbertrick

Justin/Joey = Timbertone

Justin/Lance = lamblove (so-called as they're the youngest members of the group)

Lance/Joey = JoLa

group sex = GSF (Group Slut Fic)
Other pairings somwtimes seen are JuNi (Justin/Nick), AJC (JC/AJ), Chowie (Chris/Howie), JuWa (Justin/Wade). The first three are BSB crossovers. New names are being invented all the time for pairings.

Chronology

This is a very rough guide to their history as a band as as individuals. Some of the dates or details may be debated, but the general sense of it will be almost universally accepted as canon.

1990 -- Josh Chasez selected to be on the New Mickey Mouse Club (MMC) when he's 14, moves to Orlando. Name changed by the show to JC since they already had a Josh. JC meets Joey, a friend of fellow-MMCer Jennifer McGill. He and JC also attend Dr. Phillips Performing Arts High School together. JC is on MMC until it's cancelled in 1994.
1992 -- Justin, 12, appears on Star Search and loses. He's later chosen to be on MMC, and is on until the show is cancelled in 1994.
1994 -- MMC is cancelled, and Justin and JC go to Memphis--Justin to be a normal kid, JC to record demos. JC also spends some time in Los Angeles. They both return to Orlando. Justin's sole high school experience was during this time, in 8th grade.
early-1995 -- Joey and Chris meet while working at Universal Studios. Chris is a doo-wop singer, Joey is a performer in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Review.
mid-1995 -- Chris hears through his friend Howie Dorough that Pearlman is looking for a new band to finance. Chris decides not to join the band Howie is forming (which became the Backstreet Boys) and decides to approach Pearlman on his own. He knew Justin from local auditions, and Justin knew JC from their time together on MMC. The three of them meet up with Joey at a club and invite him to join. They take the name *NSYNC
Note: the name *NSYNC was invented by Justin's mother, Lynn Harless. The initials of the word are supposed the be the last letters of their first names. Before Lance, their bass singer was named Jason--he quit after a short time, not believing the band would go anywhere, and they found Lance soon thereafter. In order to keep the initials-thing, Lance was nicknamed Lansten, but they don't actually ever call him that.
October 1, 1995 -- Lance comes down from Mississippi to audition, on the recommendation of Justin's old vocal coach in Memphis. He's asked to join the group, and they begin to rehearse in an old warehouse and chroreograph their set.
October 22, 1995 -- The group creates a demo tape in their first public performance, at Disney's Pleasure Island. They start to perform locally.
April 1996 Pearlman begins to finance them, putting money behind their dance and voice training. He hooks them up with Johnny and helps them land their first record deal with RCA Records.
August 4, 1996 -- RCA signs the group.
August 1996 -- They are sent to Germany to record and debut. Lance and Justin (16 and 14, respectively) travel with their mothers along. Joey is 18, JC is 19, and Chris is 24. They record their first song, I Want You Back, at the Stockholm studios of well-known producers Denniz Pop and Max Martin.
October 1996 -- I Want You Back, first single from N'Sync, is released and hits the charts a week later.
February 1997 -- Tearing Up My Heart is released as a single.
May 1997 -- Their first album N'Sync is released.
mid/late-1997 -- Four singles and one remix are released in Germany, and they go on tour to promote the album. Their sold-out tour brings them to the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa, Asia and, of course, Germany.
March/April 1998 -- Return to US, and for a time are virtually unknown. It's a juxtaposition of massive success overseas and complete anonymity at home. The US version of N'Sync is released, and has good sales. The singles I Want You Back and Tearing Up My Heart begin to climb the charts.
July 18, 1998 -- Perform a concert for the Disney channel. Afterwards, sales skyrocket and visibility increases.
October 1998 -- Open for Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope tour.
November 1998 -- Release Home for Christmas, a Christmas album, as well as first book and video. Commence Second To None tour.
January 1999 -- End Second To None tour.
1999 -- N'Sync and Home for Christmas both go multi-platinum. More singles hit top-ten and top-forty on the Bilboard charts.
March-May 1999 -- Ain't No Stopping Us Now tour, first leg.
May 12, 1999 -- Lance collapses of exhaustion due to their relentless schedule after the Summer Jam concert. Misses two days of concerts out of the tour.
mid-1999 -- Chris discovers that Lou has been taking 60% of their earnings, as well as owning all merchandising rights from their name. Essentially, for all the records they've sold, they're seeing pennies of what they've made.
July-December 1999 -- Ain't No Stopping Us Now tour, second leg.
September 1999 -- N'Sync announces they're attempting to break their contract with RCA and with Lou Pearlman and have signed with Jive Records. BMG Entertainment, the Trans Continental Group, and Pearlman sue for breach of contract; *NSYNC responds with a countersuit accusing Trans Continental and Pearlman of exploitation and endangerment.
December 23, 1999 -- The Lawsuit is resolved, and N'Sync is fully released from RCA. Lou maintains some financial rights, but nothing near as comprehensive as before. After this, the group seriously begins recording No Strings Attached at their new label, Jive.
early-2000 -- Bye Bye Bye is released as a single and has phenomenal success.
March 2000 -- No Strings Attached is released, and sells 2.4 million copies in the first week alone. This creates the new record for albums sold.
mid-2000 -- Singles from No Strings Attached are in the top-ten on the charts.
May-August 2000 The first leg of the sold-out No Strings Attached tour. An IMAX movie and HBO special (later released on video) are made of their performances.
October-December -- Second leg of No Strings Attached tour.
January/February 2001 -- N'Sync records Celebrity, their fourth album. Pop, the first single, is a huge hit.
March/April 2000 -- Lance and Joey film On The Line, a romantic comedy Lance is producing, in Chicago and Toronto. The other members of the group have small background appearances.
May-August 2001 -- N'Sync goes on the PopOdyssey tour.
May 2001 -- Joey catches his leg in a trapdoor onstage during pre-tour rehersals, and is seriously injured. Wade Robson takes his place in the music video for Pop, which was shot over the next two days.
July 2001 -- Fourth album Celebrity released mid-tour. Celebrity then becomes the second-place-holder in most albums sold during the first week. Members of the group write all but 3 songs on the album. PopOdyssey is filmed and is planned for theatrical release dated early-2002.
October 2001 -- On The Line premieres to mixed reviews, ranks #4 in dollars-made-per-screen.

Other People In *NSYNC Fanfic

Johnny Wright, their manager and head of Wright Entertainment Group. The Compound, which appears occassionally in fic, is an estate Johnny owns and uses as an office, with recording and rehearsal facilities for the guys. Very *supahstah*-ish, looks like there should be Playboy Bunnies all over the place. Johnny also managed New Kids On The Block and the Backstreet Boys.

Lou Pearlman, head of Trans Continental Media. financed the boys and introduced them to Johnny. He helped them get their record deal with RCA Records, the American subsidiary of media superpower BMG Entertainment. He also had some contractual ties with the boys himself, through the Trans Continental Group. He's unanimously considered a slimy, mean, homophobic bastard, and a possible pedophile.

Wade J. Robson, a primary choreographer for the guys, who's written songs with Justin and appeared in the Pop video as a stand-in for Joey. Varying presentation, but usually neutral-positive. Runs the guys ragged in rehearsals. A child prodigy, and only 19. Has been slashed with Justin.

Britney Spears, Justin's Official Girlfriend and another pop singer.

Kelly, Joey's maybe-girlfriend and Brianna's mother. Joey has known Kelly since before the group. Wide range of presentations, but generally positive.

Bobbie, JC's on-again, off-again girlfriend, now permanently off. She's generally disliked and usually presented negatively in fic. Writes for J-14, a teen magazine, about girls' issues.

Dani, Chris's ex-girlfriend, who he dated for two years and almost everyone actually liked. Now the president of FuMan Skeeto (Chris is the CEO).

Lonnie, Dre, and about five other men, who are the bodyguards. Most of them are guys who have kind eyes and are big as mountains, and they've been with the guys for years.

The Backstreet Boys, also called the BSB. The picture shows, left to right: Howie, Brian, AJ, Kevin, Nick. The first boyband, also managed by Johnny and signed by Lou before they found new management and renegotiated a new contract with Jive. The Boys are often slashed with various puppies, and their relationship in real life has been hostile, but right now seems to be moving towards polite neutrality. Howie/Chris, AJ/JC, and Nick/Justin are especially popular. BSB also has an active slash following.

Links

Fiction

Puppies In A Box The originator of the 'puppies' nickname, and one of the best sources of clever and well-written fanfic in the fandom. Helen is another convert from TS, and hosts many excellent writers. She's also got an interesting intro to the guys, and some wonderful and funny gems like the Epistolary Narrative (look under Egomania). On The Bus, Thirty, The Way You Do It, Maximum Exposure, Sushi, Tattoo

Experiment V Rhys is one of the best writers in the fandom who writes all pairings, although she likes Chris, Lance, and JC a lot. Caught, Body, Everything Once, Full Circle, Slim-Fast

Temporary Insanity More sojourners from traditional fandom, Julad, Calico, and Nemoinis write excellent fic, especially GSF. Exception To The Rule, Murder, Relief, Toasted, Affair, Bottom Of The Fifth

Juppy.org Georgina writes gorgeous Backstreet Boys/*NSYNC crossovers, and maintains a list of BSB/*NSYNC slash stories. Fumble, HAckery AU, Juppy The Vampire Slayer, Circumflex

Smoke And Mirrors Em writes beautiful and canonically accurate Lance-centric stories, mostly with JC or Joey. She also writes excellent gen. Slash: Catalyst, So Pure, Rio, Change, Going Home. Gen: A Lot, Four Point Five.

Bury Me Deep Pet, at least, comes from Buffy fandom. Both she and Tink are superb writers, with delicately-crafted and solidly-characterized stories. Catharsis, Catwalk, Mandolin, Touch, Shoot, Safe

I Will Not Be Afraid Of Boybands Jae is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking. Since I'm a wimp, I'm only mentioning the happy stories. Coldhearted, Sleeping Beauty, Birthday, Oddly Comforting

Shame Is Good For You Wax Jism is one of the masters of *NSYNC fanfiction. She tends to write angsty works with pain and blood and tears and sex. Much goodness. She also hosts Drew, Dale, and Dacey, all of whom I recommend as well. See Jae above re: me being a wimp. Dare, Line of Defence, What It Means To Boogie, Especial, Munich 1997

Pretty Little Whore Machine Home of Emmy, and hosting Shine, Fraulein, Jodi, and Clueless. Cliche, Liar, Colorful, Surprised, Move, Fun With Puppies

Non-Fiction

The *NSYNC Slash Primer This list of fiction is maintained by Jawamonkey, and is *the* place for one-stop shopping of all the best fic in the fandom, spread over several catagories and all the pairings. Read everything.

Boy Band Slash Primer A good introduction to the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC by Jericho, who also writes fiction worth reading in both fandoms.

*NJUNK Run by Em of Smoke and Mirrors fame, this is an info site for the band--some rumors, some humor, lots of resources and links. Good stuff.

Picture Gallery Allen_Sama has come up with a truly impressive and remarkable index of pics of the boys. In particular check out the Pairings page. This isn't intended as a "proof" page, just a good collection of slashy pictures for all the main pairings, GSF, and a few of the threesomes.

Other

Audiogalaxy.com Audiogalaxy, in these post-Napster times, is probably the place for mp3 sharing. Good place to find N'Sync songs or the occasional interview. Songs I would recommend downloading are More than a Feeling, Digital Getdown, Bye Bye Bye, All I Ever Wanted, Pop, Up Against The Wall, O Holy Night, If I'm Not The One

Livejournal.com Most of N'Sync fandom, slash and gen, happens on the 'journals. New stories are announced and recommended, pics are posted, news and gossip is reported, and people talk about their lives and what's going on with them.

Discography

N'Sync has released four albums in the United States, and has three official homes videos. They are:

Albums

N'Sync March 1998
Home for Christmas November 1998
No Strings Attached March 2000
Celebrity July 2001

Videos

N The Mix November 1998
Madison Square Garden Live HBO's live broadcast of the Madison Square Garden No Strings Attached concert--released on video November 2000
Making The Tour MTV special on No Strings Attached tour--released on video in longer format February 2001

References

There are a dozen books and a million articles published about these guys, as well as some very good fan websites. Here are some of the sources I used for the factual (as opposed to fictional) information.

Adams, Ashley. 'N Sync 'N Detail Omnibus Press. 1999 (updated 2000)

*NSYNC; Squires, K.M. *NSYNC: The Official Book Bantam Doubleday Publishing. 1998.

'NSYNC: Who Are These People Anyway Checkerbee Publishing. 2001.

*NSYNChronology created by Tiara Star. Last visited October 2001.

Chronology prepared by Silvia Kundera, personal correspondance. Recieved October 2001.

Comments on this site and corrections for any of the information stated here may be directed to me, Shine. The opinions expressed here are mine and may not be the same as the rest of the community. I do not know, nor have I ever met any members of *NSYNC. This site is unaffiliated with *NSYNC and completely unofficial.