#Transformers: The Covenant of Primus

[emperor-kumquat]

You ever want to read the Covenant of Primus or the other Transformers Prime novels or the Art of Prime? Magic link, boom

[infinitealpacas700]

Their friendship in the covenant of primus destroyed me

[starjamss]

Gonna be delusional but each time Optimus talks about Megatron in his freaking ‘dear dairy’ ahh book, he ends it with this human phrase like there is no way Optimus isn’t indicating Megatron. 😭 Y’all remember this? Lmao it’s from the covenant of Primus.

Also this part killed me. He still cares about them. :(((

I freaking love them so much. Hasbro make them kiss, NOW.

[transformersbrainrot]

Imagine: Rewind meets Optimus Prime at some point during the war and starts fanboying SUUUPER hard... NOT because that's fucking Optimus Prime or anything but because Orion Pax is a fucking LEGEND in the archivist community

[singingcicadas]

This is a better, truer, more compelling analysis of tfp Megatron’s character than any fandom meta.

[botmilf]

Optimus in the tfp series: -handling the stressful situation with calm and collectedness-

Optimus’s private journals in The Covenant of Primus during tfp: I AM LITERALLY SO STRESSED AND ALSO ME AND MEGATRON ARE GAY LOVERS. FUCK.

[cardboardfox]

So, I'm reading the Covenant of Primus for research and I couldn't help myself...

[smolstarthief]

This part of "Transformers: The Covenant of Primus" gets me every. Damn! Time!

Optimus... Just realizing that he isn't alone... And feeling despair over Bumblebee being (temporarily) killed... Break my heart why don't you?? 💔😭

Like no, honey... You were never alone! They all love and care about you damn it!

[halenhusky309]

If I write about 13 original Primes, don't expect a romance between Solus Prime and Megatronus Prime because that's one of the most forced tragic romances I ever subjected to myself.

Imagine you create the only female Prime with cool design and power, only to solve her into a romance that is so sauceless and banal that ended up only make Megatronus the interesting one out of that totally not "incest" ship (I know they are not related but I'm being spiteful against the bitches that insist Megop are "brothers" therefore incest).

Sorry I feel more touch when Thirteen stopped the other Primes from tearing Megatronus Prime apart so that he could explain his side than when Megatronus offlined Solus. My reaction was literally "so she's dead? Okay".

[robby-bobby-tommy]

just a quick thought abt how funny it would be if rid15 had Megstronus meet Alpha Trion (i havent watch the show). the 13 primes has unmatched comedic potential for a messed up family sitcom.

AT and Megaus were hard to draw tbh. All primes are. Honestly I have a two ideas abt how their reunion would go. Either they would calmly talk it out or they would distance from each other. Like they both are very lonely (one self-exiled and the other was the only one on Cybertron) but they werent ready for this whole conversation.

(ID: frist image is a split panel with Alpha Trion and Megatronus saying each others names. the second panel is a close up to Sideswipe's face with AT's body on the left. SS askes "You know him?". Third image shows both AT and SS standing, former facepalming. He says "Do i know him...", annoyed. The last picture is the same, but AT points his palm at the screen and exclaims "He's my brother!" End of ID)

[dsco-kjs]

Thirteen may not have a face, but he can see that's not a crayon, Fallen.

[emperor-kumquat]

Present for @darks-lair

[gardenofchrome]

Now who designed him like this 😭 Jumpscare

[novafire-is-thinking]

What does it mean to be the last?

There’s no doubt that Optimus was the last of the primes. However, that could mean two things: Either he was The Thirteenth Prime or he was merely the last Cybertronian who would bear the Matrix and carry the title of “Prime.” Personally, I prefer the latter interpretation.

The exact relationship between Optimus and The Thirteenth Prime varies in the Aligned Continuity. Supposedly, the original plan was for Optimus to be a regular bot with “polarities” (explained below), but somewhere along the way, it was decided that he would be a reincarnation of Thirteen. This seems to be the view preferred by most fans. The Covenant of Primus upholds this idea while the Aligned shows don’t really say either way. Meanwhile, the other three novels strictly adhere to the original idea of him being a regular guy who became “The Chosen One” through bearing the Matrix.

Polarities

Furthermore, it is revealed Transformers have "polarities", equivalent to a human star sign and based on the Thirteen original Transformers. Optimus claims Prima and Alpha Trion as his primary and secondary polarity (but this was probably from before it was decided to make Optimus himself one of the Thirteen). (TFwiki)

The concept of polarities in Cybertronians presents some interesting possibilities. Back when I discovered the page, I distinctly recall it saying that Optimus claimed Prima and Thirteen as his primary and secondary polarity—which would make sense—but now it says Alpha Trion. Whoever wrote/edited the section didn’t provide a reference, so all I can do is speculate about which one is correct:

PRIMA

Prima was the archetypal hero, a warrior made closest to Primus's own type and intents, focused on the greater good. Such people can be dull, but Prima was clever and unselfish with a strong sense of self-awareness, so that even as he remained true to his principles, he was always able to stay one step away from pomposity. He cared for us all like the eldest brother of a large and unruly family, taking too much upon his shoulders perhaps. As Primus did, he was convinced he was both right and in the right all the time, which made him a frustrating person to deal with on occasion, but stood him in good stead when it came to a fight. His weapon was the Star Saber, a sword of an item type like the Quill, whose form was symbolic of its power rather than the actual full limit of it. Its edge could cut between atoms with the accuracy of the finest tool, or sunder mountains.

ALPHA TRION

I, Alpha Trion, was made to be the historian of the Primes and the memory of Primus, in case Primus was ever recalled to life. It was my nature to be detached, although I don't believe I was uncaring. I took a philosophical attitude, an analytic appreciation of others and their deeds. I was gifted with two artefacts: the Covenant, which truly came from and belonged to Primus himself, and in which much was written by Primus's will, and the Quill, with which I wrote my own observations. Unlike all other Primes and subsequent beings of the same lineage, I was given total recall and a direct link to the Spark of Primus, through which I was sustained and inspired during times when the accumulated knowledge and awareness of events would have been otherwise intolerable.

THE THIRTEENTH PRIME

Thirteen was unlike the other Primes. His type was warrior, a physical adept, with the leadership and intellectual fortitude of kings. Where Megatronus was riddled with contradiction. Thirteen had no such troubles and was perhaps as a result far lesser in ego than any of the other late Primes. At this time of our making he was quiet and dutiful, obedient to Prima’s commands and dedicated to assisting those who required it. He was like Prima’s second, but unlike the rest he had no special object or weapon associated with him, taking up only those lesser tools crafted by Solus, and his armor, as he was instructed. This would seem odd if we did not all know that his true purpose was as mediator and visionary. Thirteen was an inspirational speaker and a deep thinker with a calm soul. His steady, perceptive nature meant he was well liked, and he pulled his weight. He used to comfort others in times of stress with a friendly hand on their shoulder and the words, “All are one." There was a contented light in him that made us believe it. Even Megatronus could be calmed this way when he came in from one of his great battle rages, foaming with his own puissance and resentment. Thirteen united us. Without his influence we would have fallen into disarray far sooner.

These three descriptions are in The Covenant of Primus, along with the other 10.

Later, The Covenant states that Starscream is “A bot after Liege Maximo’s pattern,” hinting at the idea of Cybertronians still having polarities in that novel, to add to the confusion.

Demigod or Regular Guy(TM)?

It all depends on how each fan interprets things.

If Optimus is indeed a reincarnation of Thirteen, as The Covenant says, the bio for Thirteen gives a beautiful glimpse into TFP Optimus’ character.

If Optimus is just a regular guy elevated to the status of Prime by the Matrix, as is implied in the later novels, I think it’s more likely that he has Thirteen as his primary polarity with either Alpha Trion or Prima as his secondary one.

For fun, I could even go out on a limb, throw out the idea of polarities, and say that Optimus could have been patterned after Thirteen, Prima, and Alpha Trion. I mean—combine all three descriptions, and one gets the Optimus we see in TFP.

What about Robots in Disguise?

“Isn’t Optimus a reincarnation of Thirteen in there?”

It’s possible, but I’m inclined to think not. Excluding those who died or departed in The Covenant, several of the Primes, including Thirteen, never showed up in the show. For all we know, Thirteen could have been somewhere offscreen, gazing proudly at the one who was patterned so closely after him. Optimus being a regular Cybertronian elevated to the “spiritual” status of Prime at some point would also explain why Micronus and the others seemed to treat him with less respect than one might expect if they were seeing him as an equal.

When Optimus shows up in RiD15, he seems surprised that Micronus is taking him to The Realm of the Primes. Would not Thirteen himself remember the place and expect to dwell there after his recent death? Or, also:

“The crisis is upon us. And we sense our chosen champion is not prepared…”

“For you to face this challenge, we must share with you a portion of each of our sparks—an awesome amount of power. If you are not prepared, you will not survive.”

These are just two of many things said (and done) by the Primes that make me think they’re addressing a subordinate of sorts rather than a fellow being of equal power as they would if he were Thirteen, even a reincarnation of him.

Of course, one could always attribute these things to some sort of memory wipe inflicted upon Thirteen after each reincarnation… But I digress.

Conclusion

Optimus was definitely the last of the Primes because of the whole Matrix-merging-with-the-Allspark thing. However, his origins are debatable. Either interpretation is valid, although I personally prefer the one where he is an ordinary guy with an extraordinary destiny.

✧ ✧ ✧

series master post

[transformers-abyssal-star]

Megatronus Prime and Prima Abyssal Star designs

They're meant to look alike, but Tronus modifies his body to match modern Transformers

While Primas abdomen is the same texture as the rest of his body (akin to a corset) Megatronus is condensed fire, magma and it radiates heat

Individual under cut