On a roll, aren't I? Let's see . . . This one is just a one shot, again with America and China. (Mostly because, if it wasn't for governments and ideals, they'd get along perfectly.) It also ties in with the Paradox of Personification story I did in the beginning.

"You need to learn better manners!" China huffed at America, the younger man pausing in what he was writing to look up at him.

"Um, what?"

"Manners! You have poor ones!" China glared at him. "Do not try to distract me! England raised you, why do you not have better manners?"

" . . . You know, I've been thinking about that recently . . . does it count as 'raising' if England was never around?"

"What?" China blinked, having just been ready to go on a rant.

"I mean, I saw him once every couple of years- sometimes he didn't show up for a decade or two, So does it really count as England raising me? I built my own house without his help, I learned to hunt, fight and all sorts of things without him there.

"I was glad to see him whenever he showed up, and we would play . . . but I can't say that he ever taught me anything about being a nation . . . more like, how to be a person, a little brother." America looked at China, who was staring at him in shock. "I learned more from my bosses and Prussia in the years of my war, than I did from England. I mean, I know he had an Empire, but still . . . "

" . . ." Well, there went China's tirade for the day. The older nation sat next to America, studying him. "I forget, you are younger than most of us . . . only four or five hundred years." China himself had been just a child at that age. America's aging had been too fast, but then again, there had been no older nations for him to depend on, not even his own older brother.

The oceans of course had been a problem, but then there was the problem that most of the old New World Nations were killed and new nations were coming into existence just as rapidly, so none of them had the same sort of history that other nations had with each other. They had all been fledglings, forced to fly too soon after being hatched, and thrust into a very competitive world. Not all of those fledglings had made it, either.

Come to think of it . . . "Didn't England try to keep you from trading with anyone other than him?" China had, in a moment of pure boredom, looked at an American history book back during World War II. Mostly so he could understand his ally beyond the fact that America had come up with a beautiful flag.

"Yeah, It was ridiculous, though, because so many of my people weren't just his- I had Dutch, German, Prussian, French- though they were more in Canada- and even Spanish down in the south, and it was easier to trade with them, especially when he started raising taxes on stuff." America gave him a wry smile. "And I sort of wanted to keep out of world affairs, but . . . well, all the wars . . ."

"Yes, that would make it hard to learn manners." He'd forgotten that America was largely self taught, either through books or observation, or just pestering others with questions (Which made China wince, because clearly, that should have been an obvious sign that America had never learned- all the questions asked that so clearly were attempts at understanding the other nations, and the usual harsh responses because to them he was just being nosey . . . if he'd looked more like the child he was and less like an adult, they wouldn't be as harsh.) Not to mention if America only got to meet the rest of the nations through wars and then the Conferences without the usual periods of adjustment the older personifications had had . . . this was a problem. China was going to kill England- this time he meant it. "We will fix this, but first, we will annoy England." America blinked, then grinned.

"Okay!"

If one passed by the two, they would see two nations with mischievous grins, and a good natured debate on whether or not to bring Hong Kong and France into this.

. . . Yeah, I was thinking about this the other day. You see, England didn't want the American colonies to trade or deal with anyone other than them. However, a lot of Colonists would have been Dutch, German, Swedish etc- it wasn't just the english who settled here, they just claimed the most land, and most of the history books, which makes it frustrating.

(Seriously, if someone could give me the title or Isbn number of a good Canadian History book, or even one that's been translated to English from any of the other countries about the world wars, I would appreciate it- I'm trying to study all sides, and it's frustrating because I'm American and I keep getting American authors and titles- I already know the American version, and some of the british (yay, BBC documentaries) so please, someone? Australian history would also be nice.)

And if England was not always around (please notice, he leaves America when the guy is a child and comes back to find him taller than him) then how, exactly can England claim to have raised him? It's more like they're estranged brothers. They love each other, but in some ways they're more like strangers. More on this plot bunny another time.

Anyway, America sort of tried to stay out of World affairs as much as they could, only focusing on trade. However, we did end up in a few wars (Quasi, 1812, Mexican-American, Spanish-American, World War I and II, and I might have missed one …) that kind of ruined our chances of that. And if America meets other nations in a war . . . yeah, odds are he's not going to be 100 percent understanding of that Nation's cultures due to a certain attitude during wartimes. Yay propaganda! (That's sarcasm, people).

Half of this came from the World War II episode where America and China end up washed up on Seychelles together, and actually get along just fine. An episode or two after that, we see them watching the others in amusement. Yes, they're going to bond over harassing England. What better way to bond than harassing a former pirate turned stuffy gentleman?

America's age- Columbus found the Caribbean islands, if you want to be technical, in 1492. 1497, someone explored the now east coast of the US (do not remember his name). Roanoke went missing in the 1500's , I think late 1500's. Jamestown was founded by the English in 1621, however, there were dutch, Finnish, and swedish colonies already here, in the area of New York, and we're only talking English with most of these dates for some reason. I can't find the dates for when the Dutch settled, I just know they were there during the 1500's. (Again, someone help?)

And we know personifications show up before (and then last beyond) their actual nations do- case in point, Italy, Holy Rome, and the Roman Empire. Seriously, look at when Roman Empire fell, and then look at the when the Holy Roman Empire starts. (Ignore the debate about Holy Rome and Germany, please.)

It is now 2014. America the personification, would, at least, be 517 years old, give or take. The nation (separate from the British Empire) only been around for 230-odd years (can't remember the exact amount) which is probably when the personification started counting birthdays, hence the confusion.

China's 4000. England and France were children around the year 1000 AD, we can assume they were around for longer though, given that when Grandpa Rome comes to take Chibitalia away, you see France and Holy Rome playing together.

This does not count the possibility of America and Canada being former personifications of Vinland, which would make them a 1000 years or so. Which is possible, but more on that in another oneshot. Or you could read Ashynarr's fics, that's the best one I've found.