So I was neutral on the Thirteen Primes in Aligned, but I really liked their portrayal in TF One. They seemed so much more approachable--like yes they were the first TFs and had a special connection to Primus, but on some level they were Just Guys, living amongst the other Cybertronians and doing their best to protect them. They had a secretary even!
And then on the IDW side of things, I really love the Guiding Hand as a religious concept. So I thought to myself, what if those two pantheons could be merged?
So once again we are talking about:
Mortilus (Death / Natural Cycles)
Adaptus (Transformation / Change)
HOWEVER, they are not individual people, they are different facets of Primus. iirc the ancient Greeks and Romans did something like this, where they would have different cults worshipping specific aspects of a god?
So anyway, let's say whoever bears the Matrix (in this case Zeta Prime) is the conduit for Primus as a whole. That leaves four Digits of the Guiding Hand and twelve other Primes. Meaning, conventiently, that we can divy up three Primes apiece as devotees of Adaptus, Solomus etc etc. Each one exemplifying some aspect of their chosen Godly Digit.
So firstly let me sum up the Thirteen Primes, as seen in TF One, and their general "thing", if I could suss it out.
Zeta -Matrix Bearer / Leadership
Megatronus - Physical Prowess, War
Nexus Prime - Combination, Community (as he is a communal being, a combiner)
Amalgamous - Transforming
Solus - Invention / Creativity
Micronus -according to TF Wiki he was the conscience of the Primes, also Small
Quintus - Evolution? I dunno, I'm trying for something more general than "Likes to create weird organic beasts." . . . You know what, I'm going to give him Reproduction / Fertility. Even if the TF One bots reproduce via hot spot you just know this guy is gonna find a way to get pregnant, look at him, he's a freak.
Prima - In other continuities he's the Matrix-bearer, but here that falls to Zeta. His other thing is being the very first of Primus' creations. So my concept is that he is a nurturer of the other Primes, he takes on a big brother role, and therefore he gets Love (all kinds, not just romantic) and Harmony.
Alpha Trion - Knowledge, Literature
Liege Maximo - Within the TF One universe he doesn't seem evil (maybe he would have been eventually had he not died heroically, but he did), so instead of Lies or Deception, I am giving him Conflict / Dialogue. (Specifically emotional and social conflict, because Megatronus has physical conflict covered.) Conflict is necessary for growth and change. Conflict must be acknowledged and negotiated in order to progress to a place of understanding.
Alchemist - Science / Food / Energon
OKAY, so now comes the hard part, divvying up the Primes among the aspects of the Guiding Hand. LMK if you would move any of them around!
Solus Prime (because she's an inventor)
Micronus (due to him being "the conscience of the Primes")
Adaptus (transformation):
Mortilus (death / natural cycles):
Megatronus Prime (as a warrior who faces / brings death)
(I feel like Solus and Alchemist could also be swapped, because Solus transforms ideas into reality and Alchemist is a sciency guy.)
So anyway, my headcanon is that the Primes each celebrated / worshipped a particular aspect of the Guilding Hand and also that Cybertronians in general might have a little shrine or charm, either devoted to the entire Guiding Hand or to whatever aspect resonated with them the most. Which would be less weird and uncomfortable than having a shrine for a living Prime who you see about town and who lives down the street. But if you greatly admired Nexus Prime, for example, then you probably have a devotional respect for Adaptus.