No one warned you.

When you joined this fandom, when you started to read popslash, when you started to write popslash, when you'd been in it forever: no one warned you.

Not about the hiatus.

It's only for a little while, they promised. We'll be back soon. We're working on songs for a new album, they said. Just wait until the fall. Just wait until the spring. Never say never; we're still brothers. Just wait. Just wait.

Guess what? We're tired of waiting.

Better yet, we know a secret. You see, we deal in fiction around here. It may be based on the lives of real people, but it's born of our imaginations. And we can imagine a hundred different ways for the boys to get back together. To start recording again. To start to touring again. To return to being NSYNC.

You know you've got a reunion story in you. It's time you sat down and wrote it.

This is the challenge: write a story about an NSYNC reunion. Write about how the boys get back together, or what happens when they do. Your story must take place in or around a reunion tour or the recording of the next group album. One way or another, you must include all five of the guys.

Bringing NSYNC together again is only the first half of this challenge. Bringing the fans back together is the other half.

We've got our favorites, and we've got our drama, but we're all here for the same fundamental reason: we're fans. We're fans of the group, of the fiction, and more often than we realize, we're fans of each other. To make this challenge as welcoming and interactive as possible, we're offering:

• Multiple deadlines, falling in April, May, July, and August. Write for one or write for several; signups are open through July.

• The option to make your story available for remixes, and the opportunity to remix someone else's contribution. Want to see what another fan can do with your story? Wish you'd come up with that idea first? Here's your chance.

• The option to make your story available for sequels. Get someone else started, then see where they can take it. Add another chapter to a story that ended too soon for you.

• We've also got quotes to spark ideas.

Read the rules. Browse the quotes. Enjoy the completed stories. Then sign up here.