JeanMarco Solstice

JeanMarco Week, but it's twice a year around each solstice! 【Event website】

[jeanmarcosolstice]

The 2026 JeanMarco Summer Solstice will begin Monday, June 15th and conclude Sunday, June 21st. View rules here.

Feel free to save the prompt list image and repost on different platforms!

Mature content is allowed and should be tagged appropriately: "AtNight" should be added to the main tags. Please check out the official website for additional information.

Full text of the image below the cut:

JeanMarco Summer Solstice 2026 Tags: JMSS2026, JeanMarcoSummerSolstice2026, JMWeek2026, JeanMarcoWeek2026 Tier A Prompts June 15: Daydreaming June 16: Blossom 🎂 (Marco's Birthday) June 17: Dessert June 18: Rebel June 19: Tease June 20: Sea June 21: Bonfire Tier B Prompts June 15: Primal Need June 16: Abundance & Gratitude 🎂 (Marco's Birthday) June 17: Wise Warrior June 18: Embarrassed & Bashful June 19: Bloody Crown June 20: Wild Ride June 21: Bonded Hearts Credit: JeanMarcoSolstice on Tumblr, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Reddit JMSo1stice on Twitter/X

[erin-bo-berinn]

Jeanmarco Summer Solstice-

“Bonded Hearts”

“A love only the branch of a willow tree could conjure.” -OBSESSION (2026)

notes: I thought of this today so instead of doing a depression bonfire fanart to olivia rodrigo’s song “cigarette smoke” I chose an obsession au.

Enjoy the speedpaint! Who else draws their sketch on paper before moving to digital? :/ The song is Love is in the Air pt. 1 by Rock Burwell. I took the inspo from the album cover but added a bit more.

hope you like it. :-)

[p-cruz]

Day 7 - Bonfire

JEANMARCO SUMMER SOLSTICE 2026 怒らずに聞いてほしいんだけど…

[jeanmarcosolstice]

Last call!

Today (June 21st) is technically the last day for the JeanMarco Solstice event! Thank you to everyone that has created content!

Reminder: late posts are allowed, so please continue posting as you finish your work.

And thank you to everyone interacting with participant's pieces. Creating and interacting is important!

I'm so grateful for the success of this event. It couldn't have happened without you :'^) Stay tuned for a recap!

The summer solstice is officially today, happy summer solstice!

[weird-fics-r-us]

JeanMarco Solstice - Bonded Hearts

I'm still gonna do the rest of them, but I just had to get this one done on time. These two mean so much to meeee. 😭

Lil Notes

Parasites AU/not canon compliant.

Marco is a War Hammer Titan, and Jean's an Armored Titan.

The Tybur family have forcefully adopted Marco.

Jean laid in Marco's arms, the two stared up at the glistening night sky. But Jean didn't need the stars, or the night sky, or anything other than Marco. All he ever needed was this moment right here, to lay in his arms and listen to his beating heart.

He still needed to figure out how to get Marco back home, to get both of them back home and away from this strange country called Marley. And that creepy woman... But after so much grief, and so long separated, all he wanted to do was savor the moment between them. Marco was alive, and that's what mattered to him. So, he closed his eyes, and purred to the soothing thrum of Marco's heart.

A cold wind blew, and Marco shivered slightly. He pulled Jean tighter, his whiskers tickling Jean's face. He shifted slightly, his heart starting to beat faster, like he was suddenly anxious.

"Do you believe in fate?" He asked suddenly.

Jean thought about it. Had Marco asked him that before all of this, his answer would've been quick and easy.

No, his didn't used to believe in such a thing. It was a fairy tale, something people tell themselves to feel better about the shitty world they all lived in.

But now…

The words of that mysterious woman from his fevered dreams kept ringing in his head. She said they were bound together, showed him the scene of Marco's birth, and told him to fight for his love. It had given him the strength he needed to track Marco down, but… was it fate? Was Jean simply destined to be with Marco, the forces of the universe conspiring together to ensure they ended up together. He liked to believe he had some sort of autonomy, that people chose and made their own decisions.

But maybe the world is more complicated than blacks and whites.

He thought about what that woman, Lara Tybur, said when Marco somehow managed to transform to protect him. She'd halted her attack, saying something about a bond.

"I think it's more complicated than that." Jean said, reaching up to brush Marco's whiskers with the tips of his fingers. "Maybe there's an invisible guiding line that helps us find our way, but I think it's ultimately up to us to fight for our own happiness."

Marco hummed, then abruptly pulled Jean up and kissed him.

"Then I'll fight for you, any day."

[canislycaon24]

I decided to be INCREDIBLY self-indulgent with today’s prompts and make art + write something that probably doesn’t even count as a fanfic as a worldbuilding exercise for my upcoming (eventually 🥲) longfic that features jeanmarco as one of its most major ships… and a also lot of timeloop bullshit :) which has kind of sort of maybe definitely had an impact on the people living in the current loop of the timeloop… including Jean and Marco themselves :)

If this doesn’t qualify for jeanmarco summer solstice because of how much I bent the prompts, I understand lol. I still had a ton of fun making it!

———————————————————————————————————

Assignment: Write a 1000-3000 word paper examining an individual historical art piece or a set of historical art pieces from the Eldian Empire and discuss how they made a statement about a cultural issue. Cite a minimum of 3 sources. Due at the beginning of class on November 19.

Agapito Aguglioni

November 18, 849

Liberio University

Class HIST-245-01

— Horse and Hound- Homosexual or Not? —

Ever since the vile scriptures of the Eldian religion were first written around the year -1000, scholars both Eldian and not have argued about the exact nature of the relationship between the Eldian gods “Horse” and “Hound.” Some insisted that the two were very close friends (1). However, many others were certain that their bond was romantic (2). The scriptures themselves are very ambiguous on this topic, and can be interpreted either way with ease (3). However, it cannot be denied that Horse and Hound loved each other deeply, regardless of how that love is defined (1, 2). In this essay, two recently discovered pieces of religious art from the -200s depicting Horse and Hound will be analyzed to explore how Eldians thought of their relationship in the -200s (4).

First, a quick background. The Eldian religion is based on and centered around a central canon of scriptures split into two books: the Book of Prose, and the Book of Poems (5). The former contains what Eldians believed was the history of the universe, and how their false gods created it and lived in it (3, 5). The latter contains a collection of poems about the Eldian gods and other mythological figures mentioned in the Book of Prose (3, 5). Eldians then spent the next 1800 years or so after these scriptures were originally written debating about the details and implied meanings of these texts, which included how exactly the gods viewed each other and what their relationships were like (1, 2). These arguments were not viewed as a form of impiety towards the gods (1, 2). Instead, they were seen as a sacred act that allowed them to better connect with the gods (1, 2). One of the fiercest debates about a divine relationship among Eldians that has endured for as long as the scriptures have is about the relationship between the Eldian gods Horse and Hound (1, 2).

Horse is primarily the Eldian god of horses, art, and oaths (5). He is sometimes also given the domains of grief and conflict (5). Though originally depicted as a species of wild horse, by the -200s he had been consistently depicted as a domestic horse for centuries (5). His most major roles in the story told in the Book of Prose include helping to create the universe, a friendly rivalry with the god Hawk, a supporting role in aiding the god Otter with his plans, a close and loving relationship with the god Hound, fighting in many battles during the Age of Betrayal (including the infamous Battle of Heaven and Earth), being the second of three individuals to decapitate Hawk, and implied marriages with both the goddess Leopard and the gods Yellow Ox and Golden Ox (3, 5). He was generally considered to be one of the less dangerous Eldian gods to get in contact with, though of course still very dangerous if angered (5).

Hound is primarily the Eldian god of the home, families, kindness, fertility, and domestic dogs (5). He is also often described as a god of the spring season, but not always, and he is always depicted as a domestic dog (5). His most major role in the story told in the Book of Prose, aside from also helping to create the universe, is being the first of the gods to return to the Other Side through dying (3, 5). He was fed to wild beasts by Yellow Ox, Ram, and Cat in an act of murder when he overheard their plans to betray the other gods by feeding them to their human masters (3). He was generally considered to be the least dangerous Eldian god to get in contact with (5). However, though he almost never punished humans himself, he would often complain about disrespectful humans to Horse, who punished those humans for Hound (5).

The first of the religious art that will be discussed in this essay is a scrap of parchment painted with natural paints (4). It depicts the funeral of Hound after Horse discovered his half-eaten corpse (4). The fire in the background is from Hound’s funeral pyre, which Hound’s corpse burns upon (4). In the foreground, Horse kneels in tears before Hound’s spirit, who is visiting from the Other Side to speak to Horse as a ghost (4). At this very moment, Horse swears an oath to Hound, which has remained a very frustrating mystery to scholars ever since the scriptures were first written (3, 4). The wording of the oath is never stated in the scriptures (3, 5). The topic is never stated either (3, 5). All that is mentioned are the effects of this oath, which include “changing the future,” “saving countless lives and causing countless deaths,” “pleasing the Time Serpent,” and most importantly, motivating Horse to fight against the traitorous gods, the humans who sent them to the gods’ kingdom of Paradise, and eventually even his own friend Hawk to save humanity (3).

It is entirely possible to view this scene as platonic. After all, Horse is never explicitly stated to desire Hound romantically, nor the same for Hound towards Horse (3). But it is important to note that despite always being considered the god of oaths, this is the only oath Horse makes in the scriptures (3). All other oaths he makes in Eldian mythology come from later myths whose legitimacy were often questioned by Eldians themselves (5). When his former friend Ram is devoured by Otter, Horse weeps, but he does not make an oath (3). When Fox is shot and killed by her chosen human champion, again Horse weeps, but no oath is made (3). And so on and so forth, with all of the other deaths that occur among the gods before Horse’s own (3). This implies that Horse and Hound were particularly close, with a special bond that was never replicated fully with anyone else.

As this art was made in the -200s, the scriptures clearly remained important to the (almost certainly Eldian) artist as a basis for depicting their gods. Unfortunately, this means that there is not much that can be gleaned from this art about Horse and Hound’s relationship that cannot also be gleaned from the scriptures themselves. And due to the scriptures’ ambiguity, the views of the artist on their relationship remain equally ambiguous when only looking at this piece.

The second of the religious art that will be discussed in this essay is also a scrap of parchment painted with natural paints (4). However, this one is not based on a scene from the scriptures. Instead, it depicts Horse and Hound facing each other, with both of their hearts bound together via string connecting arrows pierced into the organs. Hound has one paw resting on a human skull missing its right half (4). As this is not a scene from the scriptures, it must be an interpretation of the gods and their relationship from a later time. Most likely the -200s due to the age of the parchment (4). This piece is more damaged than the other that was previously discussed (4). It also has an identical art style to the previous piece (4).

What does this scene mean? To understand this, one must understand more of the cultural context this art was made in. One of the other Eldian gods is Dove (5). She is primarily worshipped by Eldians as a goddess of love, with additional main domains of wealth and prophecy (5). Many myths, including the scriptures, tell of how she fires arrows of love into the hearts of gods and mortals alike to make them fall in romantic love with others (5). With this taken into account, this scene is most likely depicting Horse and Hound being in romantic love with each other through the arrows Dove fired into their hearts, binding their souls together for eternity. The meaning of the damaged skull under Hound’s paw is not completely clear in this piece, but it has been used in many other historical depictions of Hound, primarily as a symbol of his death, so this may be the case here (5).

As is widely known in Marley, homosexuality is a terrible and damning sin that Helos never approves of. However, in the evil Eldian Empire, this was not understood, for homosexuality was completely accepted and even fully normalized (6). Homosexual marriages were common (6). And this is reflected in the Eldian religion (6). In their myths, gods formed homosexual relationships multiple times, both explicitly (such as between Dove and Goose) and heavily implied (such as between Horse and Ox) (3, 5). The thought of Horse and Hound being in a homosexual relationship would not have been scandalous or strange to an Eldian artist living in the Eldian Empire in the -200s, and would instead have been a normal and reasonable thing to believe about their gods. This essay argues that the artist of these pieces believed that their gods Horse and Hound had a romantic bond with each other, and that this interpretation is not in conflict with the scriptures they held as sacred. This is in agreement with the majority of debaters on this topic at the time, and in disagreement with the minority (1, 2).

[canislycaon24]

When the Cadets have a day off in the summer, many like to go swimming at a nearby lake.

But cats will be cats, and it seems that Jean wants to tease his “best friend” who he feels “totally platonic” feelings for and would “never” marry. Not that he’s ever thought about marrying Marco, of course! Okay yeah he has, but not THAT much. A perfectly normal amount. Yeah…

We have just a few seconds before Marco gets startled and leaps backwards into the lake 😔 Jean’s lucky that Marco can’t stay mad at him for long, though! I wonder if there’s any deeper reason for that…

More AOT Cat AU!

Marco is a shorthaired midnight charcoal rosetted tabby with curl ears, because it means I can give Marco his freckles AND have them on a background that’s black like his hair while still being genetically possible. And the curl ears are because I think they’re cute and Marco is also cute <3

Jean is actually a chimera, though you probably wouldn’t notice it unless you knew what to look for! He’s primarily a longhaired black-based mink colorpoint, but the twin he absorbed was a shorthaired solid chocolate. The twin’s fur only really appears in one small patch, which gave Jean his famous nickname. He also lost a bit of his ear from a particularly fierce fight with Eren.

I hope this fulfills the prompt 😅

[whiteinkwolftattoo]

jeanmarco solstice - gratitude

https://archiveofourown.org/works/87018271/chapters/230576621

🏈 Off Season (JM Solstice '26) CH 2: Gratitude 🏈 5,077, story rating: explicit, chapter rating: mature 🏈 Off Season is Pt II of Sportsmanlike Conduct Jean’s hand is cold and empty, his lips pitifully unkissed, and his body bereft of the warmth of Marco’s own pressed against it as the two of them marvel at the little creatures flitting gracefully around their aquarium tanks together. From a foot or so away, Jean’s eyes slide in Marco’s direction rather than remain fixed on the sea dragons. The corners of Marco’s mouth twitch as he fights a smile, and even with the necessity of empty air between them, Jean’s never been more grateful than he is right now.

For today's solstice post, I am actually going back to day two and doing 'Abundance and Gratitude' cuz that was just the vibe for me today.

[whenicatchyouisayama]

JEANMARCO SOLSTICE PROMPT 3: DESSERT

Click on ALT TEXT if you can't read my handwriting :)

Because there wasnt explicitly a birthday-related prompt, this is of the night after Marco's birthday in Jean and his apartment/house☺️ being partners in their own home means eating leftover cake in their pajamas in the middle of the night, because who's gonna stop them? Truly livin' the dream

Apologies for the late prompt, at least 2 more prompts from day 2 and day 4 will be posted soon, I was in the ER lol.

[natsuki208]

JeanMarco Summer Solstice Day 7: Chillaxing

Wanted to do my own thing for the last day; Jean and Marco chilling in their beach hut together.

[weird-fics-r-us]

JeanMarco Solstice - Desert

A reunion!

Lil Notes

Parasites AU/Not canon compliant!

Does not take place in The Paths, but an equivalent specific to my AU.

Marco sat up with a gasp. This dream again… the one where he is surrounded by an endless desert, lit only by the blue of twilight cast from some mysterious source from above. The sand looked like the surface of a glittering lake, and molded in his hands like clay.

With a sigh, he sat down and began to play with the sand once more. No one else ever appeared in the dream, so he'd simply build things from the sand until he eventually woke up. He made Jean's face, trying to keep the details of his visage in his mind. He'd gotten his head done, a replica so perfect, it almost looked as if it would speak to him. Marco was about to start on the neck, when he slipped, smashing the face into nothing.

"No!" He cried out, only to slump into the sands in defeat. Grimacing, he shook. Somehow it hurt even more than losing the real thing. In a bout of frustration, Marco balled up a wad of sand and lobbed it into the distance. It hit an odd, person shaped mound.

An odd, person shaped mound that yelled when it was hit.

Shocked, Marco ran over, and-

There was Jean. The real Jean. Honest to Maria, Rose, and Sina, Jean Kirchstein. His eyes were shut tightly, his face flushed, whole body and neck buried in the sand. Marco dug him out with the ferver of a starving man who'd found a feast.

"Jean!" Marco screamed, trying to wrench him free of the strange material. It almost seemed to cling to him, like it was as desperate to hold onto him as Marco had been. Jean's eyes fluttered open.

"Marco? Marco!" Despite being weakened from an apparent fever, he clung hard to Marco. The two pulled against all the force of the world, of death, of the mysterious desert that tried to keep them. And with a wet pop, Jean was free.

He gasped, weakly clinging to Marco.

"Marco… I…"

"Jean, is- is it really you?"

Jean looked up at him. "I should be asking you that!" He dug his hands into the sand, breathing hard. "I thought you had died!"

Marco pulled back, cold crawling across him. "Well… I'm not."

But Jean continued. "I mourned you! Every day, I thought about the last things we said to each other. The last words you said to me, repeating in my dreams over and over. I-I joined the Survey Corps to honor you! I-"

Marco pulled him into an embrace, burying Jean's head into his chest.

"Thank you…" He sobbed. "For not forgetting about me…"

[p-cruz]

Day 6 - Sea

JEANMARCO SUMMER SOLSTICE 2026 いつか真面目に描きたい案のひとつでもあります

[p-cruz]

Day 5 - Tease

JEANMARCO SUMMER SOLSTICE 2026 手紙がきたよ

[marvdrew]

JEANMARCO Summer Solstice 2026

It's still the 19th where I'm at, so here's my art for the Tier B prompt "Bloody Crown."

When I think of Bloody Crown, I think of my favorite music video, which is "Maria" by kpop idol Hwasa, because it features a bloody crown of nails at the beginning. So here's a kinda dark piece that's very loosely inspired by the opening scenes. I feel like in the story I'm telling though, Marco got murdered and Jean found the body (much like in canon lol) so it's not a one-to-one with the music video.

Here's the music video if anyone wants to see it (trigger warnings!!!)

(Reference under the cut)

[weird-fics-r-us]

JeanMarco Solstice - Abundance and Gratitude

Took a nap for a few hours. Uh... moar JeanMarco.

Content Warning

Parasites/Parasitic Infection

Lil Notes

Parasites AU

Takes place in Marley.

Based on my AU where Reiner and Bertholdt infect Marco and Jean and adopt them.

Marco was buzzing with excitement! It was his first Full Moon Festival. He'd heard of the celebration from his dads, a full night of parades, feasts, and fun. He'd missed out on the first few that passed during his time here, Reiner wanted him to get settled in. It also gave some time for Jean to start to feel better, as well.

Speaking of, Jean was sleeping peacefully. He had received treatment for his resistance against the parasite earlier that day, and now he was just trying to rest. A bit of Marco felt bad about wanting to wake him, but-

He didn't think he could bear to celebrate this alone.

"Jean." Marco gently shook him awake. "Jean, wake up. It's the Full Moon Festival."

x~x

The festival was quite nice, the streets were lit up by moon shaped lamps, and there were whole tables covered in various seasoned meats, as well as a procession of costumed performers in the parade.

Jean was still in the recovery phase of the infection, so he couldn't walk on his own quite yet. Still, Marco didn't mind wheeling him around.

"Are you hungry, Jean?" Marco leaned over and asked.

Jean hummed. "I could eat."

Marco stepped up to the table, pulling a few drumsticks off of the table and bringing them back to Jean. The two ate in silence, enjoying the parade, and general atmosphere. Marco laced his free hand with Jean's, sitting next to him and leaning against his wheelchair.

"Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for bringing me."

He squeezed Jean's hand, purring.

[natsuki208]

JeanMarco Summer Solstice Day 6: Sea

I’ll never get enough of Marco Lives AUs where my boy sees the ocean alongside Jean.

[whiteinkwolftattoo]

jeanmarco solstice - tease

https://archiveofourown.org/works/87018271/chapters/230407006

Off Season (JM Solstice '26) CH 1: Tease Pt II of Sportsmanlike Conduct 2,056, explicit If Marco wanted to be the one to get him off, he shouldn’t have tried to punish him by making it happen at the dinner table. As vengeful as Marco has shown he can be, he’s got nothing on Jean fucking Kirschstein, who’s determined to put him to shame.

i am a bit of a sham i fear and i have not done anything for the jm solstice this year while my parents were in town bUT they left today so here we are. starting at the end, but i fully intend to complete all the prompts. i haven't been an artist in a long time, so you get short fanfic instead.

content warning: brief mention of sobriety, and a public/semi-public sexual encounter.