I want to talk about tempering

[Melichoir]

Ive always viewed Tempering as a crude methodology primals use to ensure theyre own existance. They literally enslave the soul of the tempered to remain faithful and in worship of them. The reason that we see it inconsistently among primals depends on the necessity of doing it. For example, some primals (like that of Levi) resort to it in such extreme ways that it not only warps the soul, but also the body. But it is not always a necessity, as Shiva and Thordan did not need to temper simply because the hopes and prayers for them was given willingly.

Because of this, and this is just a personal theory, I think primals are not all the same. That there are different 'tiers' of primals. The more crude and base a primal is, the more likely theyre going to use tempering to ensure they got a steady supply of worshipers. While more advanced Primals would not inherently require this. It could also explain why someone who becomes or embodies a primal (Ysael as Shiva) doesnt become tempered themselves, or why some primals seem a lot more keenly aware of things and rational, rather than a destructive hellbent force of nature (Like that of Ifrit, Garuda, and Titan).

Edit For clarity: Primals need some form of worship and ideology to exist. When the ideology is crude, half formed, or fleeting, they will temper people into devotees to keep them going. Ifrit, titan, Garuda, are all pretty much vengeful forces brought about by those seeking revenge and to harm. Where as Shiva, Thordan, and Even Tsukuyomi were more sentient in nature, less primalistic. They had more complex motivations from those that summoned /became them. We get some proof of this from Tsukuyomi, as Yotsuyu drops her primal form mid battle as her convicitions wane briefly. By wallowing in her despair, she repowers and reaffirms her convictions, becoming more powerful as a result.

More important, when an individual Embodies a Primal, their wills and motivations play out more complexly than a other Primals. Ifrit is just a manifestation of a groups hatred, Shiva is a person or peoples manifestation of their ideals and goals. Its not just "Screw those guys", theres more to it. We can see why Shinryu was a primalistic force when summoned, but under Zenos was more 'conscious'. Its why Primals like Sophia, Bismarck, etc, are more primalistic and one dimensional in nature, But Shiva, Thordan, Odin (and Alexander to some extent) are more complicated.