#paulchard analysis

[woodswallow]

Paulchard kiss-evolution (2019 - 2024)

I think several users have already done something similar, but I just love talking about and analyzing Paulchard, so here are my two cents on their evolution of endearments or, in other words:

The kiss-evolution (2019 – 2024)

2019

Their stage kisses started in 2019, I think in Barcelona on the 1st of June – pride month. They repeated it a couple of times, but definitely not on every concert. The kiss in Moscow got quite a lot of attention, because it was seen as (and surely also meant to be) a protest against the oppression of LGBTQ-people in Russia.

So it started out as a political statement, with the personal relationship of Paul and Richard not being the focus of this action. And their kisses definitely looked like that.

Shy, timid, with pursed and tighly closed lips. Their faces and bodys being as far away from each other as possible (not everytime, but quite often), their body contact being very quick and short. There was eye contact and also some smiles but after the kiss either Paul or Richard retreated quickly, turning around, walking away. No lingering hands or glances.

Some of their kisses were also with open or just half closed eyes and overall just quick pecks like here (if not stated otherwise, GIFs by @mrsfitzgerald ):

The following is probably my favourite 2019 kiss, for several reasons:

they are standing closer together for a longer time, that kiss is so innocent somehow and so sweet – probably of that little hesitation from both of them – and also because of Schneider in the background <3 I LOOOVED that reaction!!

Kissing with open eyes:

There was the picture from the Moscow-kiss on the official Rammstein-Instagram page and that photo also got released on a t-shirt that is still sold in the Rammstein shop :)

2022

Finally the tour could continue after the two year long break because of the pandemic. I had the feeling the whole band was relieved and happy they were allowed to play again. I had become a die hard Rammstein and Paulchard fan in the meantime, so I was reaaally curious if they will keep the kissing – and they did!! To me, this was a surprise, as the whole „getting attention to get a political statement across“ was kind of worn off by then...but they kept it, this time more as a show-element. The kisses were staged - or at least it was clear, that they had these 2-3 minutes in the Ausländer outro, where they would be in the spotlight and could do whatever shenanigans they were up to... there wasn't a kiss at every concert, but almost.

They were getting much more comfortable with kissing, especially Richard! I often had the feeling that he was celebrating and tasting (ha!) the moment in the spotlight with Paul. Richard more than once played with the audience, sometimes Paul was teasing Richard and they were both having lots of fun – that was obvious! They weren't running away right after the kiss anymore or were immediately averting their gaze - Richard at least.

I had the feeling, that for Paul, Richards intense (eye) contact was sometimes still too much, he almost always backed away first or broke the eye contact. With Richard, this was never the case as far as I remember – Richard often gave his everything into the kiss, which brought us some of the most amazing slow-mos up to this day! <3 Like this one here:

There were a few kisses that were definitely NOT pecks anymore, look at this:

There were double kisses, they both weren't kissing with pressed and pursed lips anymore, but even (almost) open mouthed or were closing their lips just at the last second, like here:

They were also much more hands on (on necks and cheeks), and hugs, so many hugs...!

And then of course that absolute favourite kiss of mine, that last kiss in Mexico – that heart-wrenching and movie-like kiss which I have watched god-knows-how-often...but just look at it and tell me they are just good buddies...naah... (video by humberto_king_of_angmar on Instagram)

2023

Then there was the 2023 tour, which had an overall different vibe than the 2022 tour, and I think everyone knows why. It didn't start out with many cute interactions between Paul and Richard, let alone kisses. Then we had what should be the last ever „classic Ausländer-outro“ kiss during one of the concerts in Munich – both of them were kneeling and when they kissed, Till rushed forward and made fun of it. Together with my overall gloomy mood this was just too much :(

They started kissing again – but at different times and not for show. I had the feeling during this tour it was mostly Paul supporting Richard on stage through small caresses, hugs and kisses (which were often initialized by Paul). I remember that absolutely unexpected and overwhelming „Puppe -kiss“ in Bern (because I saw it with my own eyes, heh :) (Original video by rebeccaxmuller on instagram)

In 2023 the kisses were not for show, not for the audience – but only for them. There was no „teasing the audience“ anymore, no „scream louder and I might kiss him again!“. It was all about seeking and giving comfort. For example here (original video by heatliedave on Insta):

The tour went on and the atmosphere between the band members relaxed again. There were hugs and kisses behind the drums and in the dark, giving each other a peck when returning to their places – they were definitely not doing that for the audience, because only eagle eyed fans saw that... and there were other, more subtle caresses:

And of course there was that kiss in the rain during „Ohne dich“ where a kiss on the neck wasn't enough – for both of them:

2024

2024 was a continuation of 2023 – the scripted kisses during „Ausländer“ were history and also not attempted anymore, but we had a lot of „natural feeling“ kisses – this year it seemed to me that Richard was more often the initiator:

Neck kisses (come on, who doesn't do this to their colleagues? :D GIF by sechsherzen)

Casual hand kisses (original video by anwiel13)

Another proof, that kisses with tightly shut and pressed lips are past (original video by conny_tanzlehrerin)

their most romantic kiss (by far!) with a little „stargazing“ beforehand:

and we had this insane picture (and the one with the hearthands!):

-with the caption „Thank you, Italy, I am impressed, so hot but still so energetic and so much love“ on Richards official Instagram and I would bet my right arm that he was WELL aware of that double meaning!

The whole atmosphere was very relaxed, they had so much fun and their kisses and caresses seemed to be so naturally and spontaneously. The sexyness, which some of their kisses from 2022 had, was (mostly) gone, but replaced with a warm feeling of trust and authenticity. Which is maybe even better than sexyness :)

Thanks for scrolling and reading!

[woodswallow]

A very short scene and probably not much to say/analyze about it – but I loved it so much!

This was at the very first official concert this year in Prague. During the verse, when there's not much to do for the guitarrists, Richard casually walks over to Paul, who's standing at his place in a manner I think of as „soldier pose“: Very rigid body language, stern, straightforward look in his face, the neck of his guitar tightly grabbed with his left hand. Overall, Paul looks very serious and tensed – we've seen that pose from him quite often already.

So Richard approaches Paul from behind. Paul probably sees him coming, but doesn't move. He also doesn't flinch when Richard puts both his hands on his upper arms. Only when Richard bends forward and Paul probably feels Richards hair tickling him or skin on skin he's turning his head to the side slightly. His expression is a bit unsure, like „huh, what's that going to be?!“ He stays in that position for a tiny moment – while Richard places a tiny, feather-light kiss on the base of Pauls neck. It looks like the angle wasn't perfect for Richard and he had to search for the spot for a second – but thanks to the light we can see the exact moment of the kiss.

And uuugh, don't get me started about neck kisses...I said it already in another kiss-analysis...neck kisses are so damn sensual and neck kisses from behind even more. The neck is such a sensitive and vulnerable area. To let somebody kiss your neck and even from behind (when you can't defend yourself from a potential attack) shows a great deal of trust and intimacy.

And I looove how absolutely normal Richard is about his gesture! There's a tiny hint of a smirk at first, but no attention-seeking looks, no laugh. He just turns around, without even looking back to receive any kind of feedback or confirmation from Paul – and that way misses a beautiful beaming smile from Paul :D

I was so surprised to see Paul being obviously surprised here! Here's another angle (GIF by mrsfitzgerald) and we can see, HOW long Paul looks at Richard!

As if he was waiting for Richard to turn around and maybe receive a explanation for his action. But no, Richard is just returning to his position and I love that :Dit seemed like this totally surprised Paul and it's always a delight to see this emotion on him.

I remember seeing this at the start of the tour, thinking that this is so sweet, so intimate, such a beautiful gesture of trust and care – and I totally didn't expect it. Seeing that Paul probably didn't expect it either but being so joyful about it totally made my day <3

Surprise kiss

Prague, Czech Republic (11/05/24) || 📷: me

[lespaulchen]

One of the most iconic kisses between our guitarists from the 2022 tour. I can't write as beautifully as @woodswallow, but I made this gifset as I thought there is a very interesting thing to point out.

The Auslaender outro started almost as usual, with Richard feeling the music probably somewhat more.

But this moment shows one massive difference from arguably every other Auslaender's kiss: Richard is not smiling. He's not focused on seducing Paul with that evil grin. There's no tension, no predatory stare. He is... sad? He looks Paul in the eye, and while Paul is in that playful-teasing-I'm-not-that-easy-to-get mode of his, in which he rather avoids eye contact with Richard, he must realize something is off with the lead guitarist...

But they both go for the kiss. In the beginning, I thought maybe Richard was sad, at least partially, because during some of the 2022 shows Paul seemingly didn't feel like having that little smooch. From what I've read, Paul is very uncomfortable with PDA and, in general, tries to keep his private life as far from the public eye as possible. 2019 kisses were fun and outrageous, which Paul loves, and also had a political impact. But by the half of the 2022 tour, it was obvious nobody cared about any political impact anymore and the guitarists kissed just because they like it. Richard doesn't care if people are watching, he may even like it better that way, so perhaps he couldn't entirely understand Paul's hesitation. Also, on the previous show, still in Europe, their kiss was very quick, too quick for Richard's liking:

He made that gesture with his mouth as if he wanted to say: "Ahh, it ended before I could even taste it!" On which Paul said something, maybe like: "I've told you already: quick pecks - for the audience, the actual kisses - only you and me, no witnesses..." And Richard was like: "Oh, okay, but a boy can dream, can't he?"

Going back to Chicago's kiss: so it's not the case that Richard is sad because he thinks Paul wants no public kisses: they go for it as usual. I also don't think he's sad because he'd prefer the kiss to be longer - that doesn't sound like an actual reason to feel sad. It has to be something else.

Whatever it is, Richard tries to pull away first as he probably thinks the kiss will be over by that time anyway. Indeed, it's usually been (if not any other time) Paul who pulls away first; I also think Richard's hand on the back of Paul's neck used to be there for that extra control, to keep him in place just a little bit longer, but it wasn't hugely sufficient. This time though, again, Richard thinks the kiss will be over just after a moment. But what happens next? Especially from this angle, it seems very clear: Paul doesn't let go. And his reaction is really intense: he keeps his lips locked with Richard's, his right hand, put on Richard's shoulder, grabs it more firmly; you can see all his body leaning on his partner; if you look at his butt, it slightly goes up as he maybe even gets on tiptoe.

I remember reading suggestions Richard was that surprised because maybe Paul slipped him some tongue. I'd love to think that, but what I believe really happened was that Paul sucked hard on Richard's lip to keep their mouths together as Richard tried to pull away.

This is not the best quality, but it sort of confirms that theory: you can briefly see Richard's mouth, and then how it literally gets sucked:)

Paul pulls away when it's over but also slightly pushes Richard: "now, that should do!", but Richard, despite experiencing a massive WTF?! moment, remains sober enough to put some pressure on Paul's nape, doesn't let him go, and pulls him back close again, for a hug. He also starts to laugh so heartily that it makes my heart melt. Perhaps he's realized what face he's just made and laughs, just a little bit, at himself too. Paul, on the other hand, briefly returns the hug, but then is all like: "there, there, don't overdo it, babe." He gives Richard a few pats on the back, like the male friends with no benefits would do - he is back into his no PDA mode, and puts his right hand back on Richard's shoulder, this time trying to push him away.

But now Richard does not have it: "nah love, not so fast, you should have expected now I need to thank you for what you've just done... *mwah*". Another kiss on the lips, brief one this time, and finally Paul can go, obviously showing to everybody: "look! Just look at this little naughty thing right there!", Richard is doing something similar for a moment, too (what a complete pair of dorks:D).

So, I imagine Richard was so surprised because Paul not only didn't want to end the kiss quickly but literally forced it to be longer. I love this moment so much for two reasons: it totally makes sense Paul is uncomfortable with PDA, but as soon as Richard feels worse, or Paul gets sentimental himself (like by the end of tours), Paul stops thinking about any discomfort and goes for it with no hesitation, which pretty much says that comforting Richard is simply much more important for him. I think we saw it here, we saw it during Puppe 2023 or this tour after the German football team lost.

What I also more than love, is how Paul's little mouth-to-mouth treatment really brings Richard back to life and turns the night into the day for him (no wonder, who wouldn't be more than alive if they just got a kiss from Landers himself?). Richard is over the moon here, and seeing him undergo such a 180-degree mood switch is an almost otherwordly experience...

Here's the whole video cropped by me, original credit to till_lindemann_pics on ig. One of the other gifs by @davecumstaine, the other one - I can't tell, I downloaded it a long time ago and can't find it here anymore, many apologies;(

[lespaulchen]

Paul and Richard back on LIFAD tour (judging from Reesh's haircut), probably during extended solo of Haifisch?

Video credit unknown, gifs by me, haven't seen it here😢 so decided to upload myself since I'm so curious about this moment! It was 15 years ago! Did our guitarists share a kiss at the end?!

[woodswallow]

Hola, hi, hallo!

I was watching Blips compilation of Ausländer kisses again, don’t ask me how many times I’ve watched this before, but this time I noticed the Düsseldorf 19-June-2022 kiss. Like, of course the guitar is in the way, but Paul seems to reach for Richard’s crown jewels, or is that just me and my dirty mind? I was wondering what you thought of that gesture…

*insert ‘we do handjobs now’ gif here*

Hello hello :)

Thank you so much for this ask! :) You're referring to this kiss here, starting at min 01:58.

At min 02:16 Paul moves his right hand in the direction of Richards guitar/"crown jewels" as you called them ^^

I watched the scene on my PC screen and could see, that Paul was watching Richards right hand playing the guitar (around 02:14 I could clearly see him looking up into Richards face again). Listening to their play, Richard is the one playing the final (single) notes and Paul provides the strummed chords. To me, the last note Richard plays sounds a bit like it's "hanging in the air" - I would wish for a last, more deeper note to "close"the song (don't know if you understand what I mean - I'm waiting for/expecting another note, so the song sounds "complete").

Richard does these little side nods, to me they look like "hu? hu? will I play another note? will I play it?" - a little teasing. Paul is grinning all the time, his eyes switching between Richards face and his right hand.

I think, Paul was waiting for a final note from Richard, so he could play HIS last cord. Richard didn't provide this last expected note - and I think Pauls hand movement was an attempt to play that final note on Richards guitar himself :D Pauls right hand is the one holding his plec, so maybe he wanted to strum that string - put Richard prevented it by initiating the hug and "ending/winning the battle".

Richard laughs very prominently and hugs/kisses Paul for quite a long time, which makes me think if this is a way to say "Sorry Paul, but this time I won the teasing! :D Gotcha! "

Personally I don't think they would grab each other's crotch on purpose on stage (only accidentally ^^). I think they respect each other too much, to do something which might be embarassing for the other person.

With Till on the other hand, I wouldn't be so sure... ^^;

Thank you so much for sending this message my way and asking about my opinion! <3 :)

[woodswallow]

Here we finally have a kiss to analyze again :D

Richard seems to have a lot of fun in the first GIF, swaying from left to right, grooving, licking his lips. Paul is watching his friend with an amused and loving smile. He takes down his foot, seems to prepare himself to go to his microphone again.

But before leaving, Paul seems to feel the urge to express his love by reaching out with (both!) hands, cupping Richards face and stroking his cheeks with his thumbs (who does something like that to his bandmate <3 ?!) while smiling brightly at him.

Richard seems to expect a kiss - and when re realizes, Paul isn't planning on kissing him, he asks for it: He lifts his chin, purses his lips and does a „mmmwah!“ gesture – his way of telling „I'd like a kiss, please!“

Paul reacts immediately, pulls away his hands, only to firmly grab Richard by the shoulders (I love watching the motions of Pauls hands in this GIFset btw...) and kiss him on the lips. Pauls happy smile afterwards is perfectly captured in the last GIF of this set: https://mrsfitzgerald.tumblr.com/post/756734502556073984/reggio-emilia He also has this „aaw, come here my boy“-expression right before the kiss, which is so charming :)

After the kiss, Paul turns away to leave to his place and Richard first seems to make a pouting expression, as if he would have liked another one, or a longer one.

But then he nods to the fans with that priceless expression which I read as „Saw that? Not bad, huh?“ Pretty sure this is a nod to the screaming fans in the audience and he's playing with them – this was also after the concert where they received their „Paulchard“-flags...still pretty wild to me that it's now official that they both know about us :D

reggio emilia 🥹💓

[woodswallow]

I don’t know if you take requests, or already did one; so forgive me if so🖤

But could you please please do a kiss analysis of the Ohne Dich kisses, Brussel 2023 (5th of August). I was there and fully crying because Ohne Dich (duh!!) and did catch the moment but only half because I was sandwiched between my besties🤣

Hello hello, friendly anon :)

Thank you so much for you interest in my kiss analysises <3 And yes, I do take requests, just without a guaranty...sometimes I just don't see enough potential for an in depth analysis.

But the scene you mentioned definitely (!) has potential and if we're talking about the same scene, then I already did an analysis of it here:

I tag all my #kiss analysis with this tag, so if you're interested in rereading, feel free :) Thank you so much <3

[woodswallow]

hello!👋

Any chance you would keep going with your beautiful analysis of the guitarists' moments, or you don't have much time for it? If you do, there are some moments I'd love you to cover with little input from myself, if it's allowed😌

Helloooo :)

Thank you so much for your lovely message! I indeed played with the idea to go through some of the GIFs and videos of this tour on the weekend to see if I have to say something about one or the other...if you have some scenes in mind you would like me to comment on, you can send them my way of course :) And if you have to say something about them (as well) you're of course very welcome to do so!

[woodswallow]

What are the Paulchard kisses that makes you squeal the most? Mine are LA 23sep22, Mexico 4oct22 and Brussel 5aug23! 🤍

Ooh, thank you so much for this beautiful ask! :D *cracks knuckles* Great timing, because I just recently went through all their old kisses...

Also impossible to only name one, very hard to narrow it down to three as you did (excellent selection by the way ;) - so I'll cut it down to four :D

Definitely on the list is one of their very early kisses from 6th July 2019 (Milton Keynes, UK, GIFs by @mrsfitzgerald):

This is everything: Cute, funny, a bit clumsy - and it still makes me squeal. It looks so unusual how fast Richard approaches Paul, also - with his forhead first?! Like he wants to do a headboink and then decides last minute for a kiss?! Paul seems a bit confused as well. And then both of them bringing their chin forward to kiss, that movement looks so sensual. Aaand of course, THE huge bonus here - Schneider in the back *sigh* The light highlighting him, he's watching - and the the smile?! This made my fantasy run wild. I love all three so much and this was a gift from heaven.

Another very, very important kiss is this one from Belgium 3rd August 2022 (GIFset by mrsfitzgerald):

I knooow that it's slowed down, nevertheless all expressions we see here are real. And look at that 5th GIF. Look at it. How soft Richard places his hand on that beautiful neck. How Richards bright smile slowly fades and for a brief moment shows this expression of...bittersweet longing? Passion? How he averts his gaze from Pauls eyes to his lips is just so...is this even real? And Richards face afterwards - he's beaming with joy! Pure bliss. I've watched this so many times and still sigh heavily.

Then this one here (Bern, 17th June 2023):

My heart is overflowing with love everytime I see it - because I have the feeling that Pauls heart actually in that moment is overflowing with love. This was totally unscripted, and it shows. It was a spontaneous reaction from Paul, feeling that Richard needed some sort of support (the "well, it is what it is" - gesture or Richard after the kiss kind of confirms this to me). It's a consoling gesture to me, because Paul is also caressing his shoulder and even came back again to caress him again. This kiss is SO unexpected, so hinest and real - and special because Paul took both hands to cup Richards head. Such a warm, caring loving gesture. Also there are snippets that show Richards expression - and it's soo lovely to see his expression change from "I'm totally cool" to a blank "??!" to that heartmelting smile. Also this has such a special place in my heart because I saw it live from second row and I screamed SO loud that everyone around was probably deaf afterwards. The two concerts in Bern were an absolute blast, first row the next day - mindblowing. And that kiss made my heart burst and still does <3

And then: YES, I totally have to agree - that last kiss in Mexico 4th October 2022 will forever live rent-free in my head.

This is a real kiss. So full of emotions, it could be THE goodbye kiss in a romantic movie when the couple has to seperate.

First, there's fun, playing around. Then the kiss, full of passion - and suddenly...grief. Pain. Sadness. I once did a lengthy analysis of this kiss (#kiss analysis ... you guys know this by now maybe ^^;). Richard definitely fights for composure here and it's ...god, when I think about it, it makes me so weak. It's surely because he realizes the tour is over and not because he will lose Paul - he doesn't lose him of course, he's his bandmate. But seeing his expression and how tight he hugs Paul and how tight Paul hugs back - good god, this doesn't only pull my heartstrings, it shredds them.

Best kiss ever, I tell you. Can only be topped by a french kiss!

Little bonus (not Paulchard, but also makes me squeal :D

(Brussel, Day 3 2024)

[woodswallow]

Aaaah!! Have never seen these before - and I even met the wonderful woman who took them while waiting in front of the stadium! :D

God, I LOVE these pictures, whole new angle of that beautiful surprising kiss!

17.06.2023 | Bern | 📷 by Tracy Hayhurst 🥹💚

[woodswallow]

I absolutely adore your Paulchard kiss analyses! I’m wondering though, what’s your favourite moment of theirs?

Oooh my goodness – thank you SO much! For that really nice compliment – as I said in that previous ask, I'm so damn happy that a bunch of very cool people like my blabbering and me interpreting gestures and glances to death :D This makes me incredibly happy – writing and seeing that other users celebrate this :-*

And also thank you SO much for the question! I had to think about this a bit, even if I had a scene in mind immediately. But in the end I was sure that nothing compares to the last Mexico-kiss 2022, even if that might be a boring and obvious answer ^^

The whole 2022-tour was like a fever dream and we got so, so, so much incredible Paulchard action! From funny and cute to sexy and dramatic – (nearly) everything a shipper's heart could wish for. I sometimes think of other ships in other fandoms, where people get crazy over a hand on a shoulder XD And we (almost) have it all, we're so lucky, guys!

And that last Mexico-kiss was the cherry on top for me so far, it was everything: Cute, funny, sexy AND dramatic. I just recently did a kiss analysis on that and damn, I could do anotherone :D

Looking at these GIFs and especially Richard (who once said in an interview that he seldomly cries) shows me the whole palette of emotions. From affection in the first GIF, to fun and friendlyness in the second, to love and suddenly grief in the third (that sudden transition always wrenches my heart!!!), bittersweetness in the fourth, to thankfullness and again love in that last GIF.

It's such a rollercoaster of emotions, and even if the kiss was planned, I'm pretty sure the emotions were not, but were honest. To witness this and look at it again and again, is such an incredible gift for me. It's a testimony of their long, bumpy and beautiful relationship. I always loooove the fact that they have that fantastic „character arc“ so to say, I love „enemies to lovers“-stories – and this feels like one. Which, to me, is the reason why the Paulchard-ship is so damn beautiful and real and attractive. Even if they may not be lovers – they do feel love for each other, that's for sure.

Thank you so much again for your message! <3

[woodswallow]

Trting very very hard not to be pushy or begging, but someday a Paulchard kiss analysis of this one would be awesome 💕💕https://www.tumblr.com/mrsfitzgerald/694204826538688512/mein-teil-rammsteinlincoln-financial-field?source=share

(but only if you want to ofcourse, i love your analysis...analyses..analysisses...stories 💕💕

Not pushy or begging at-all!!! :) Thank you so much for the idea, I'm always happy to get suggestions for my analysissses...yeah ^^;

I have to have ideas about the scene or "see potential" in it to write about it - yours is definitely giving! :D I added it to my little list wich I'm slowly working through.

Thank you so much, also for liking my writing :-*

[woodswallow]

Me, after reading fanfiction, browsing through the Paulchard tag, finding SchneiderxPaul kiss pictures or writing a kiss analysis....

[woodswallow]

How could I say no to this... ;) Thank you vulnerant-omnes!

Had to to a quick research, I knew this was a tourstart, first I thought it was 2023, but it was already 2022, during the rehersal in Prague. Also I knew I could count on the lovely @mrsfitzgerald for showing a GIF of that scene:

I knew that everyone was waiting and hoping for more kisses during that part of Ausländer for that tour. I remember that a friend of mine texted me and send me a screenshot of that scene and we both went haywire...

So, it's just the start of the tour 2022, LIFAD-concert rehersal in Prague, Paulchard fans are hoping and praying. The last few chords of Ausländer, the two approach each other, finally stand in front of each other. No eye contact, as far as I can see. Richard doesn't seem to make a move, although he's often the one who initiates a kiss by reaching out for Paul. There is not much playing around, no shenanigans, no games.

So...will there be no kiss?

But then, seemingly out of nowhere, Paul lets go of his guitar. He places both (!) hands on Richards jaw and cheeks, and places a very light, friendly kiss on his lips. He still has his plec in his hand, that's why the fingers of his right hand are bend.

In the GIF you can see how Richard immediately (!) looks up to Paul as soon as he places his hands. He knows exactly what Paul wants to do and kisses Paul back without any hesitation. After that, Richard shows his cutest smile, like a little boy who just got some candy (well, actully he did... ;)

Even if we don't see Pauls face properly, it's so damn easy to tell that he has the brightest smile on his face, you can see his cheeks even from this angle :D

This is not one of the most sensual or emotional kisses, also not especially funny - but it's special nonetheless. It seemed that there wouldn't have been a kiss, if Paul wasn't initiating it. And the fact that he used both hands is like a statement to me. Like "come here, you know what I want". There isn't much option for turning away when someone holds your head like this. To me, this was Pauls sign to Richard (and the fans maybe) "let's continue this wonderful tradition!". And Richards reaction shows that he's more than happy. I remember, how special that kiss felt to me. What a sign! Start of the tour! A kiss with BOTH hands! This is how people kiss on their wedding day, after they just said "yes". What a fantastic foreshadowing <3

So this was the start of the 2022 tour - holy shit, we had absolutely NO idea, what that tour would have in store for us, Paulchard-wise... :D Compared to the following kisses and interactions, this Ausländer-end seemed really quick, just like the kiss - but they surely know how to build up tension! :D

So: When do we finally get "Paulchard - The movie"?! There are sooo many fantastic scripts out there... ;)

Sorry for being unactive lately, lot of work but ARENT THEY CUTE?! I’m gonna melt probably 😫😫

[woodswallow]

Hi! Just wanted to say i really enjoy your Paulchard analysis, it's like seeing 'guitarists being cute' all anew 💕

(i wanted to add a pic that lovely Paulchard hug outside the hotel from Turin 2022, but don't know how to add photos to an ask... 😘)

Aaah, thank you so, so much!! 😍 I'm so happy that you and a handfull of other people enjoy my analysis ❤️ I'm always so happy when I see a reblog and I'm always reading the tags and enjoy them 😁 Thank you so much for this lovely message, it really brightened my day 😘

Haha - and of course I know exactly which picture you mean - this is indeed SO lovely! ❤️

[woodswallow]

Prepare for an analysis in thesis-length, sorrynotsorry...

First off, we gladly have two angles of this scene, the one right above this text (very helpful for the start and the ending of this situation), but also this one here, were we can see their faces much better: https://mrsfitzgerald.tumblr.com/post/755527516898361344/copenhagen

I used both in this thesis analysis.

If someone asked me to show them a GIFset that represents a playful, good mood, I'd show them this :D Daaamn, I love everything about this! This feels like we're allowed to look a little behind the curtains of their relationship, like a continuation of a little squabbling they had before the concert or even the tour.

But what is happening here?

We see, they are playing together during Mein Teil, both are very concentrated – and then, during the last few notes of the intro, Richard quickly reaches out and taps with his middlefinger on one of Paul's guitar strings. He has to act very quickly to not collide with Pauls hand, which slides back to the top of the fretboard. Richard pulls a face while doing so and to me, his expression looks like he's doing something mischievous and is not sure if he will succeed.

Well, obviously he did, because the next moment, he breaks out laughing – and I mean really laughing! :D While Paul seems frozen and kind of incredulous that this could happen, Richard is laughing so wholeheartedly, even throwing his head back – and for me it's impossible not to smile while watching this! :) He is obviously SO pleased with himself and so happy that he could fool Paul here, it's a little sad that we can't her his actual laugh.

I watched the video and the sound after Richard's action is quite weird, so maybe that's the effect of his trick. This all seems like a kind of insider-joke to me, a guitarists-thing. I imagine this to be a prank which both of them wanted to do to the other one and Richard succeeded here and celebrates it.

I also like Pauls reaction here, kind of frozen and a bit „wtf just happened“, but then also smiling and laughing like he's thinking „damn, that little fucker got me!“ :D

While Richard is celebrating his schadenfreude (I don't even have to translate that :D), he seems to immediately get a rush of feelings for Paul. I imagine this to turn from „haaa, I got you!!“ to „oh my god, I know how you feel being defeated“ to „oh wow, I have such deep feelings for you, don't want to annoy you and I enjoy your company very much“.

His emotions are like a little circle here and these emotions also show in his body language: Richard is literally doing a circle-motion with his body: Moving backwhile laughing and trowing his head back and then in a curve he's leaning his head on Pauls shoulder.

This looks like a consolation, like a peace offering - „I know I fooled you, but I didn't mean it, please don't be mad, I love you buddy!“ Richard is laughing and softly placing his temple on Pauls shoulder.

Paul is laughing, accepting his defeat – and also accepting Richards peace offering by immediately seeking skin contact by resting his cheek against Richards forehead. This is such a small but in my eyes sooo sweet and important little move. Like „yeah, you fooled me, but we're still good and I enjoy your company too!“

Of course I know this is all my personal interpretation, coming from own experiences and own feelings – but I can definitely see all this in their body language. And I can imagine so well, how a situation like this could have ended 20 years ago. And now look how far these two have come, just look at it!

Situations like these make me an even bigger fan of them. I LOVE storys like these. Watching two full grown men being tender to each other on stage, having such a moved history together...damn, I'm so here for this kind of stuff! <3 Sorry for rambling...

While Richard is cuddling with Paul, Paul seems to turn the knob on his guitar, maybe wanting to chance the weird sound. He then does a, what I read as a „you old little rascal!“-move: He reaches between his own arm and his guitar (what a complicated move), grips Richard's thumb and wiggles at it. In the other GIFset I showed at the start you can see, how both are still gleefully smiling, Richard being a bit surprised by Paul's action and watching him grab his thumb.

You can also see that Paul says something to him, I imagine it to be „rascal!“ or similar...

I love everything about this scene. Richard's pure emotions, his beautiful, honest laugh. Paul's defeat, his forgiveness, Richards need to make amends.

This is beautiful <3

copenhagen 💖 video: @anwiel13