#maddox horowitz

[princelune]

taopp doodle page while i rewatched it with my sibling :)

#speaks #i have some more finished drawings planned for later ;) #the art of pleasing princes #taopp #rowan astor #maya astor #prince rowan #princess maya #maddox horowitz #jason bartok #louis rosemont #sir jason bartok #UM. THAT MIGHT BE ALL OF IT. #the art of pleasing princes fanart #princelune art #musicals

[yourlocalmysticalvoid]

oh I wonder what this could be (it's another alignment chart)

#This one was probably the most fun #But I made a lot of changes while making it #Expect a lot more of these I love them #melliot #adamandi #adamandi musical #beatrix campbell #portia harper #ambrose bassford #quincy martin #vincent lin #the art of pleasing princes #ex ex prince rowan astor #maya astor #louis rosemont #maddox horowitz #jason bartok #taopp #adrian farthington #preston monterey

[someoctober]

it will strike if you’re not careful!

#maddox horowitz #taopp #the art of pleasing princes #kiru art

[toasted-valentine]

Taopp Maya and Rowan analysis

It’s interesting to see how similar the two of them are, seemingly being foils to one another. If you look at their differences and similarities you can see why Maya gets away and is able to have a life with Maddox while Rowan dies in the end.

The biggest differences are patience and willingness to work within the system.

Maya is apparently a couple years older than Rowan, I think I saw that in an ask, and hasn’t had the luxury of being able to indulge in pure hedonism like Rowan has. She has to be more careful with her moves, like playing a game of chess delicately. Rowan koolaid mans his way through every problem, he needs Louis to help him strategize. He doesn’t have the same life experience Maya had. They’re both scheming opportunists who take full advantage of whatever tools that are at their disposal, Rowan tends to use a hammer for every issue while Maya is more considerate of the consequences and what can be done.

Maya and Rowan are both fully ready to kill and throw Jason under the bus to get what they want, actually forget throwing him under the bus, those two were doing donuts over him. Maya wasn’t even the one to suggest Rowan pardoning him, she was just going to get him potentially killed. They both grew up in an environment where brutal tactics were encouraged, Maya doesn’t even bat an eye at her father having murdered the old queen, excusing it as a necessary sacrifice. You can see how similar they are with how they interact, Maya dropping every semblance of polite princess and just swearing like a sailor while calling Rowan a dumbass. Their homicidal plans just bounce off each other with ease, their father’s brutal tendencies showing. They are able to balance out the things holding each other back, Maya gaining Rowan’s willingness to do what it takes, while Rowan’s plan takes deep consideration of court politics with Maya’s knowledge.

They both inherited some of their father’s worst traits, particularly the murdery bits. Their better parts come out cause of their respective partners, Maddox and Louis are both good natured, and you can see how they change Maya and Rowan. Maya is willing to give up all the potential power that being queen gives to he with Maddox, while Rowan is willing to do good for the sake of Louis. Even when jealous and spiteful, Rowan goes to beg for Jason’s life because he know Louis loves him. In the end, Maya is right, palace antics kill his good. Rowan becomes too much like his father, a violent, jealous, drunkard, and Maddox has to put him down.

There’s a few other parallels between the two you can see, particularly with queerness and gender presentation. Rowan is more feminine than a what is considered traditional, wearing makeup, having a relationship with the courtier, wearing flowing black garb. Maya is envious of Rowan, wants to be able to get out of her assigned gender roles, have a relationship with the Maddox openly, not be stuck in palace politics.

In abusive households there can often times form a golden child vs scapegoat dynamic, the golden child is the prize that the parent adores while the scapegoat does everything wrong. Maya was restricted by the king’s desires to groom her into the perfect queen, while everything Rowan does is the worst possible thing to ever happen to the kingdom. It creates resentment between the two, Maya wants the freedom that Rowan has while Rowan wants the favoritism that Maya has. If Maya wasn’t the favorite then maybe Rowan’s mother would still be alive. There’s a phrase that comes to mind, the grass is greener on the other side because it’s fertilized with bullshit.

It’s clear that Maya is the king’s favorite, the king willing to kill Rowan while going into extended mourning when Maya supposedly dies. They’re standoffish with one another cause they think that the other is just like their father, but the two can get along when working for a shared goal. Maya sees the good in her brother, and is right that the palace corrupts whatever good is left.

When Maya leaves she can see the parts of her father that are evil, seeing how restrictive her father was, and how all his supposed fatherly love was just control. She can’t even bring herself to care for her father’s death.

Rowan and Maya are the two sides of the same coin, but end up in different places due to just having some differences in upbringing and partner. Maybe they’d be on opposites side of the story in the end if they’d been raised differently, but as it stands, Rowan dies from his worst traits taking over. He didn’t take the chance to leave when Maya offered it, his blood lust and lust/love for Louis being too much.

#the art of pleasing princes #rowan astor #maya astor #jason bartok #louis rosemont #maddox horowitz

[fidelesir]

@melliotwrites

I will not disclose how much time I spent on this.

Everybody has a symbol!

[Image ID: A small smooth rock painted red. On the rock are painted a bee, a flame, a white dovelike bird, a pearl-handled dagger, and a crown made up of dark narrow spikes. All symbols are done in purple, yellow, and white. /End ID.]

#the art of pleasing princes #my art #rock painting #i will redo that dagger one day #it's a tad too pirate-y #rowan astor #maya astor #maddox horowitz #jason bartok #louis rosemont #who's a pirate now apparently #musicals

[prestonmonterey]

ok so like

i COULD pay attention in class

OR i could draw taopp fanart

..guess what i chose

uhh also i drew them in as i went so thats why rowan and louis are way smaller

#taopp #the art of pleasing princes #taopp fanart #fanart #art #doodle #traditional art #drawing #louis rosemont #rowan astor #maya astor #jason bartok #uhh #whats maddoxs last name #maddox horowitz #i think

[phaethonstims]

Neon/Glow-in-the-dark Maddox & Rowan stimboard

⚠️ This is NOT a ship post I will actually start crying ⚠️

☆ Self-indulgent (not requested)

Gif creds below:

#the art of pleasing princes #stimboard #taopp #melliot #maddox horowitz #stim gifs #rowan astor #musicals #autism #glow stim #musical theatre

[melliotwrites]

how old are all the characters in The Art of Pleasing Princes? (i’m so sorry if it was mentioned in the musical,, i don’t remember or understand things very well☹️)

The ages are never stated, but for the first draft it’s something around:

Maya and Maddox are early 20’s (23ish) — Maddox is probably a year older

Jason is early 20s but slightly younger than Maya and Maddox, Louis is also around that age (20/21)

Rowan is a tiny bit younger than that, around 19.

We’re going to be changing the ages around as we work on the next draft so stay tuned!

- Elliot

#answered #casperwazhere #the art of pleasing princes #taopp #musical #louis rosemont #Maya Astor #jason bartok #Maddox Horowitz #Rowan Astor

[melliotbracket]

@melliotwrites bracket round 1: maddox vs portia

#portia harper #maddox horowitz #taopp #adamandi #and why he ourple 😂 #sorry the lighting is Very Purple

[singing-melliot-headcanons]

Modern AU. Louis and Rowan start a fling after a year of Rowan living with Maya. The two are loud as hell, so Maddox and Maya decide to be petty and hide a bunch of speakers in Louis apartment. The next time Louis and Rowan are loud they start playing Barbie Girl by Aqua on blast via Bluetooth. Rowan and Louis can never find all the speakers, and every time they get loud a new song plays. The cue includes Never Gonna Give You Up, Two Trucks Having Sex, My Heart Will Go On (the recorder version), Friday, and CBAT.

maddox would be a lemon demon fan

#taopp #the art of pleasing princes #maddox horowitz #maya astor #rowan astor #louis rosemont #headcanon #everyone lives all is well modern au

[two-minute-notice]

"kill them with kindness" WRONG. DONT HOLD BACK THE TIDE. 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

#taopp #the art of pleasing princes #maddox horowitz

[midgemoment]

LOVE DOESN’T KNOW TIME

THE ART OF PLEASING PRINCES BY MELLIOT (MEL HORNYAK AND ELLIOT VALENTINE LEE)

bonus:

#the art of pleasing princes #melliot #mel hornyak #elliot valentine lee #maddox horowitz #alex conboy #maya astor #miel escamilla #gif

[yourlocalmysticalvoid]

the first alignment chart was fun so this time we've got a "don't fuck this up" chart AND THIS TIME IT HAS TAOPP CHARACTERS TOO

#melliot #adamandi #adamandi musical #beatrix campbell #portia harper #ambrose bassford #quincy martin #vincent lin #the art of pleasing princes #ex ex prince rowan astor #rowan astor #taopp #jason bartok #maya astor #louis rosemont #maddox horowitz

[someoctober]

maya, maddox & running away

taopp / werewolf, chloe moriondo / no strings or kings attached, taopp / belinda says, alvvays / no strings or kings attached / triple dog dare, lucy dacus / taopp / no strings or kings attached

#yeah idk. silly taopp thing #web weaving #the art of pleasing princes #web weave #taopp #maya astor #maddox horowitz #mayamaddox

[toasted-valentine]

Rowan Astor and Louis Rosemont Relationship Analysis

Rowan and Louis’ relationship issues can be boiled down to fetization, toxic masculinity, generational trauma, jealousy, and class disparity. Each of these contribute to the dissolving of their relationship and the place each of them end up.

Gonna go point by point, starting with fetization.

Rowan doesn’t really see Louis as a person, he’s not in love with Louis the real flawed person, he’s in love with the idea of Louis and what he could bring him. Much of Rowan and Louis relationship is built on a foundation of sex without love, passion without intimacy, and physicality with no heart behind it. Rowan never takes the time to learn about Louis, find out about his interests, really learn anything about him as a person. Repeatedly it is shown that Rowan’s knee jerk reaction to anything with Louis is to sexualize him, examples are when Louis is trying to explain his plans for the future of the kingdom, when Jason tries to tell Rowan about Louis’ more unsavory personality traits, and when Jason and Rowan get into the love triangle fight over Louis. He openly says that all Louis is good for is his looks and sex.

This is actually nicely foiled by Maddox and Maya’s relationship along with Louis and Jason’s relationship, each being built on intimacy before sexuality. Maddox and Maya spend most of their relationship unable to touch each other, while they still both are clearly attracted to each other, based on the fact they can’t keep their hands off each other when Maddox gets out of prison, they have that foundation of caring for one another first. Jason and Louis know each other for years before beginning their relationship, once again they do have an element of sexuality within their relationship, but have enough of an emotional connection that it’s clear they care for one another. We can see this reflected in the different songs each character has, each major relationship has at least one song dedicated to them, and the framing of each can show why two of three are functional while Louis and Rowan’s is notably not.

Love Doesn’t Know Time illustrates the sacrifices Maddox and Maya are willing to make for one another in order to be together, Maddox would wait until the end of time while Maya would give up everything for Maddox, which is stark contrast to Rowan refusing to give anything up for Louis. No Strings or Kings Attached is Maddox and Maya reaffirming their commitment to one another, Maya evolves as a person and reassures Maddox that she loves them just the way they are. Rowan wants to change Louis into a submissive toy for his own benefit, not seeing Louis for himself. Maya and Maddox make each other better people for it, Maya leaving her abusive situation helping her find joy while Maddox’s anxieties are relaxed by Maya. We can also see that their love for Maya brings Maddox’s spirit for rebellion back, willing to tear apart the monarchy to be with one another. Rowan won’t give up his crown and revenge for Louis, doesn’t give up his strangle hold of control on the kingdom, and doesn’t want to make any sacrifices for Louis. Talk About It With You shows how Louis and Jason are deeply flawed when it comes to emotional intimacy, but ends on the note of the two wanting to give into vulnerability to be together, willing to take down their walls for each other if given the chance. If I Knew You Then is based on emotional intimacy, willingness to be better for each other, and seeing the best in one another in spite of the flaws there. Louis and Jason are both deeply insecure, but still are willing to give into the vulnerability and intimacy for one another. Meanwhile Louis and Rowan’s relationship have the songs Allies With Benefits, Allies With Benefits (Reprise), Heart’s Blood, and Crown of Bone and Lead. Each of these songs are based entirely on sex, infatuation, and toxicity. Rowan’s moment of belting out his feelings for Louis in Heart’s Blood takes the form of him being deeply infatuated with Louis’ body, but never mentioning anything about Louis as a person. Rowan wants Louis for sex and for someone to “fix” him, not understanding that it isn’t a partner’s responsibility to fix their trauma and flaws, it’s up to him to be willing to be better on his own for Louis. Lust and fetization of Louis is what Rowan is in love with, but not Louis’ heart.

Next point is toxic masculinity and how this turns Rowan sour, and why I think Rowan wants Louis specifically. Louis represents everything Rowan wants from a lover, someone sexy, someone who can take responsibility of all his issues, someone who doesn’t fit the typical king and queen mold, and someone who can take the feminine role in the relationship. Rowan is deeply insecure about not being masculine enough for his father, but in Louis has a male lover who could take up the “woman” role between the two. It’s a toxic mindset, akin to Marvin wanting Whizzer to be more femme in Falsettos, and it shows the cracks. Louis is small and pearly, but is still ambitious and someone who wants to make strives. Rowan wants Louis to take up the house wife position, take all the responsibility, but remain submissive and do whatever Rowan asks. He wants a toy he can fuck and use, not a partner. This can be seen in the ways Rowan brushes Louis’ ideas off, is enraged by Louis making progress without his permission, and how he tries dragging Louis into a commitment he doesn’t want.

Now, what is the source of these toxic traits? Generational trauma. Rowan and Maya are both victims of parental abuse, just different flavors of it. Rowan was beaten by his father and neglected while Maya was under heavy control of their father to be perfect. I don’t doubt that the king was also physically abusive towards Maya, but to a lesser degree than he was towards Rowan. We can see how this affects their respective relationships and their personalities. Rowan and Maya are not above using violence and manipulation to get what they want, both fully willing to get Jason killed for what they want. What’s different is Maya can recognize how unhealthy remaining a monarch would be for her, while Rowan can’t. Neither of them are fit to be leaders, Maya can see this due to being the older sibling whose spent more time in court politics, while Rowan cannot due to being in exile and not having had the same level of control held over his life. Rowan’s volatile and violent tendencies are something he gets from his father, it’s a trait that got passed down from parent to child, and he is violent towards Louis twice. Rowan saw his father abusing his mother, he internalized this and puts hands on Louis twice by grabbing his hair. Rowan may try and deny it, but he took up his father’s worst traits and let them poison his relationship. His desire for a gender binary conforming relationship is something passed down from his father’s influence, it is a deeply unhealthy mindset, and it’s a large contributor to why he’s the way he is. We can actually see him progress into worse behavior as the show goes on and how he becomes more like his father, escalating to being an abusive and violent drunk just like his father. In contrast we can see Maya getting better when she leaves home, being a more supportive partner to Maddox, and willing to be more forgiving and merciful. If Maya had been given the same power Rowan was given I fully believe she would’ve been a poor ruler, she hasn’t had the emotional development and growth required for that level of responsibility. Maya recognizes this and gets the hell out of dodge while she can, Rowan is stagnant and goes downhill due to staying. They’re both abuse victims that changed in different ways due to the different types they underwent, Maya became compliant while Rowan became angry and violent, both learning to go for the throat when they feel its necessary. They’re both scared, it’s like being a caged animal, they both are clawing to escape and willing to bite to get away. Maya finds genuine love and is able to change for the better to be with Maddox, while Rowan finds lust and dives head first into the traits he was taught by his father.

(I am curious to see what Maya like before Maddox and what changes took place over the course of their relationship, it’s clear Maya has had time to unlearn some of her worst traits from being with Maddox, it might explain why Rowan is so resentful. Younger siblings can often times blame older ones for abuse due to them not being able to protect from it, and Maya’s worst trait tends to be her apathy towards most things that aren’t Maddox related.)

Next point is jealousy, Rowan is a deeply jealous lover. It is established from the start that Rowan and Louis are in an open relationship, it’s mostly a sexual one and both admit to having other lovers within Allies With Benefits. Louis points out in the reprise that Rowan never once brought up wanting commitment and is not owed it from him, it isn’t fair to request that kind of thing from someone who has been openly against a monogamous relationship the entire time. Rowan doesn’t sit down and discuss it with Louis, he just gets angry and lashes out. Again, we can see foils to this within Maddox and Maya’s relationship along with Louis and Jason’s relationship. Maddox understands that Maya loves them and is able to put their own feelings aside for Maya’s sake, Maya doesn’t love Jason, and that’s enough for Maddox. When the marriage is brought up they discuss it and have an entire song about it. Louis and Jason both are willing to give vulnerability to one another within If I Knew You Then. They’re both insecure as all hell, but talk about it and communicate. It’s unclear if Louis and Jason have a monogamous relationship in the end, but Jason doesn’t react the same way Rowan does at Louis being openly sexual and intimate with others. Rowan is jealous, controlling, and violent. Rowan’s jealousy over Louis tears apart what they have, a relationship built on an already shaky foundation.

Class disparity causes the next problem, Louis comes from a lower class than Rowan does. Rowan is a prince, he can snap his fingers and most things that he’d want, and his position he got through birth right. Louis got where he is via spending years overworking himself, he knows what he wants, and he’s willing to work to get there. Rowan can give Louis power he wouldn’t get due to their differences in birth status, but it creates an power imbalance within the relationship. Rowan is completely disconnected from Louis’ wants and desires, only interested in his own hedonistic desires. This is in contrast to Maya giving up her power and being on an equal power level with Maddox, while Jason and Louis have always been equals and work together to help Jason be the best king possible. Jason and Louis have a level of equality and care that Rowan and Louis never had, Louis remembers Jason’s favorite things and his little ticks, while Jason is openly playful with Louis in ways he isn’t with anyone else. He isn’t even that nice to Maya, just being neutral and dead on the inside. Rowan would have never given up his power to be equals with Louis, being conditioned to crave it by his father, and not having the same kind of genuine love that Maya and Maddox have.

Louis is able to break the cycle of abusive rulers by showing empathy and love towards Jason, Crown of Bones and Lead being him recognizing how toxic the relationship, and illustrating his worries of becoming just as toxic as Rowan is. Louis is afraid he’ll kill Rowan if pushed to the brink, sees that he doesn’t owe Rowan anything, and it’s not his job to fix Rowan. Maya and Louis both break the cycles of abuse, Maya by stepping down as princess and Louis by letting Jason be king. Jason giving the chance for the two be equals via marriage makes it certain that Jason wouldn’t be the same kind of king the previous monarchs have been, not power hungry, but interested in what’s best for the kingdom and it’s subjects. Rowan would’ve just continued the cycles of abuse, it’s why he has to die in the end for the kingdom to progress. He was handed the rope to freedom by Maya at the end of act one and given the chance to be better with it, but he hung himself instead.

#the art of pleasing princes #rowan astor #maya astor #maddox horowitz #jason bartok #louis rosemont #Melliot musical #Melliot #Melliot musicals #taopp

[fidelesir]

okay okay I get why "Montreal" by Penelope Scott is on the Rowan playlist, but it's also on the Maddox playlist??? It's on the Maddox playlist. What did I not pick up about Maddox.

#maddox horowitz #maddox beloved #how long has this been going on #the art of pleasing princes