Hey Erika! This is Erin, mod number two. Welcome to XMI! I play Ben, JP, Ro, and Pete, so if you feel like plotting you're more than welcome to poke me at Lunatic Lace on aim, or sodoshiin@hotmail.com on msn. I don't generally use the latter much for chatting but I'm always signed on to get my email notifications.
The timelines run basically like real time, unless specified otherwise in the thread description. You're more than welcome to start up threads with characters who are already in other threads just as long as the players are comfortable with it. :)