PART 1 — Attachment Styles for Falling From Cloud Nine characters (art and webtoon by mono_krm 🩵) lmao me channeling my inner sumiko

Souh – disorganized attachment style

Definition:
The disorganized attachment style is characterized by the desire to have relationships with other people but feeling intensely afraid of being rejected or abandoned. This can lead to inconsistent behavior and cycling between wanting to be close and wanting to be distant.
Note: Disorganized attachment style is the combination of anxious and avoidant attachment styles.

Souh craves connection, but not the intimacy that it requires

He fears having close bonds, like having deep conversations with Hiroki
However, he still desires Hiroki’s companionship.
He can switch between being very clingy to very distant.
This is represented by Souh reaching out for Hiroki when they are younger, however he will randomly ghost or distance himself (I suspect one reason he does this is because when Hiroki gets too comfortable being with him, he runs.)

The consistency that Hiroki brings to his life, serves as a red flag in his subconcious. Hence why after Hiroki expressed that he liked boys, he started distancing himself
Also after Souh pulled Hiroki off the edge of their hideout, when it showed Souh’s expression and twitchy finger he must’ve been feeling dread/doom because all Souh expects and knows his rejection and he must think of how long it will take Hiroki to cut him off and hate him.

But at the same time, he is purposefully sabotaging his relationship with Hiroki by distancing himself, because he believes he is unworthy of being his friend and cannot accept that someone loves/cares about him that is not his sister, Sumiko. He also does so because he believes it won’t be long until Hiroki is disappointed/hates him. The attachment style has a strong fear that the people who are closest to them will hurt them.

Having a disorganized attachment style means Souh does not trust others easily (which is understandable given his yakuza background)
Because Souh has a lack of trust he immediatley assumed Ameri was a spy trying to get close to Hiroki to reach Souh, and the disorganized attachment style tends to jump to conclusions based on little to no evidence.

Also, (i forget which episode) but the scene where it showed Hiroki, Souh, and Sumiko in the Sato house just hanging around when they were little. Souh was trying to cope with overwhelming emotions by suppressing them to the extent that they aren’t apparent to others or even to himself. That is why he appeared
“flat” on the outside, while on the inside, he is using so much energy to prevent himself from having an emotional outburst

Due to the disorganized attachment’s belief that everyone will come to hate him, Souh surrounds himself by people that support that belief. For Example, Izumi and Souh’s relationship, Souh seeks her out because he knows that she can never love him, and that feels safer and normal. Also, because Hiroki is so constant in his life, Souh believes that he will hurt/break Hiroki because he thinks he is broken himself.

Shown by the communication chart,
(the lines show how they say sorry)
Souh will keep his feelings bottled up. And he will never express them openly, which leads to emotional outbursts or passive-aggressive behavior when triggered by emotional vulnerability.
This explains Souh’s overreaction when Ameri brought into question his unhealthy ghosting tendencies (he also had an outburst because Ameri mentioned Izumi). That’s also why, after Hiroki expressed a vulnerable secret, Souh bottled up his feelings and later lashed out at Maya (Souh’s babysitter/guard)

Even though he fears Hiroki’s love, he still craves the connection that he brings. Souh has a dilemma, because he cannot just leave Hiroki since he craves the connection and why he gets so angry because he does not want to have an intimate friendship with Hiroki either. That is why I do not believe he is only an avoidant attachment style because he does not simply cut off Hiroki

Finally, Souh’s disorganized attachment stems from traumatic events in childhood like physical/verbal abuse.
Souh’s father has physically abused him ever since he was a young child.
He constantly demands that Souh be perfect to become the next heir of the Sato clan. However, his father is never satisfied and will find any fault in Souh as an excuse to abuse him. The disorganized attachment forms because Souh cannot predict his father’s behavior, whether he will abuse or praise him. But, Souh is still reliant on him and seeks out his love/praise even though all he gets is pain/suffering. This is because as a child, he has to get his needs met through his father. Souh has only known conditional “love” from his father, so he accepts that as normal, and unconditional love as abnormal.

PART 2 — Attachment Styles for Falling From Cloud Nine characters (art and webtoon by mono_krm 🩵) lmao me channeling my inner sumiko

Hiroki – anxious attachment style

Definition:
The anxious attachment style is characterized by a deep fear of abandonment leading to a need for constant reassurance and validation in relationships

Hiroki desires connection, even at the expense of his own needs

Like Ameri pointed out, Hiroki will constantly talk about Souh and have him on his mind in general. This is a trait in the anxious attachment style, when Hiroki becomes obsessed with/fixated on Souh

Hiroki is also codependent and has a lack of boundaries, because he lets Souh come in and out of his life whenever he wants, and lets Souh determine the rules of their friendship

Also, whenever Souh would be “sick”
Hiroki will hang out with Sumiko and ask her about Souh because he constantly prioritizes Souh’s feelings. This is shown also, in the flashback during middle school right before Souh protects Hiroki from the backpack. Hiroki thinks thoughts like: “That’s alright. I won’t take it personally. I’ll wait. Until what’s troubling you is sorted, I’ll wait and be here when you need me.” (talking abt Souh ghosting him)
This illustrates how even though Souh is hurting him, he prioritizes Souh’s emotional needs over his own.

Hiroki desires Souh’s validation and fears his abandonment. This is demonstrated when Souh starts to distance himself by meeting Izumi. Due to seeing this interaction, Hiroki changes his hair color and gets piercings to appear more like Izumi. He also feels subconcious jealousy towards Izumi, which is shown when Izumi randomly appears at Souh’s and Hiroki’s special spot.

As shown by the communication chart, Hiroki is direct when there is conflict. However because of his anxious attachment, although he is direct, he will apologize profusely and take the blame even if he is not at fault
This ties in with how anxiously attached individuals express their needs directly but also come across as overly needy/overbearing when doing so.
Hiroki’s driving force to confront the conflict is so they can resolve it quickly.

This is because the emotional status of the relationship, hinges on Souh’s emotions and if its not solved Hiroki will feel anxious. Thats why when Souh disappears or when Hiroki feels rejection/abandonment, he will feel emotionally distraught and worthless.
This is shown after Souh ghosts Hiroki again, and he is sitting in his room feeling dreadful (right before Ameri calls him)

Anxious attachments have a pattern of seeking closeness, but they also experience emotional highs and lows because of their desire for connection.
An example is when Hiroki tries to reconnect with Souh (in middle school after Souh finished playing basketball) and he feels deeply anxious that anything he does/says will result in more distance. But, just by being around Souh and talking with him, he feels that emotional high as expressed by “He’s just venting, anyone would do. But is it alright that I’m happy it’s me?”

Hiroki constantly feels a sense of relief and emotional instability when around Souh, he is hypervigilant of Souh’s reactions because he ties his self-worth to how the relationship is going and fears rejection/abandonment
That is why (before he ends up telling Souh he likes boys) his mind goes over every single reaction Souh could have

Hiroki’s anxious attachment style stems from his father’s inconsistent responsiveness to Hiroki’s emotional needs, as well as being emotionally distant in general. This makes Hiroki confused, about his relationship with his dad as he gives mixed signals.
This is shown when Hiroki was in a coma for four days, but his father didn’t bother showing up till later. Also when his father called him (while in the hospital) for only 1 minute and 9 seconds.
His father’s presence along with support has been lacking ever since he was little. Which is expressed when (after finding out Hiroki’s sexuality) his father only cares about others’ opinions of his son, rather than care about Hiroki himself. Hiroki’s attachment style is heightened even more from Souh’s constant ghosting, as he does not know when he will leave or stay.

Finally, one reason that Hiroki is attracted to Souh is because he represents an opportunity to gain the emotional connection that Hiroki longs for. He seeks Souh because Souh has the traits Hiroki wants for himself; the wish to become more detached and independent, to decrease anxiety within himself. Hiroki expresses these thoughts (after Souh saves him from the backpack attack): “His secrecy is independence” “His reclusitivity
is loyalty.” “His temper is his passion.”
Hiroki’s affection can also stem from an unconcious desire to fulfill unmet emotional needs from childhood.
Hiroki’s friendship with Souh, is a push and pull dynamic, with constant highs and lows hinging on Souh’s emotions and presence.

PART 3 — Attachment Styles for Falling From Cloud Nine characters (art and webtoon by mono_krm 🩵) lmao me channeling my inner sumiko
edited

Ameri wants to be accepted, that is why she is a people-pleaser

Ameri is constantly in-tune to other’s feelings around her, and she will always match the mood of the room.
This stems from the desire to belong, hence why when no one is watching she is drained, while when she is around others she is “happy”

The anxious attachment style is constantly preoccupied by relationships, that is why when Hiroki is in distress she feels the need to fix his situation. So she encourages Hiroki to express his feelings to Souh in order to solve the problem. However, as Sumiko points out she is actually disregarding Hiroki’s feelings by deciding for him instead of letting him decide for himself.

However, anxious attachment styles lack boundaries and can be codepentdent.
An example, is when Ameri confronts Souh on his attitude towards Hiroki, even when she was not asked to do so and she is not the mediator between them.

Also, Ameri displays sensitivity towards criticism which is a trait in anxious attachment styles. Thats why she has an outburst of rage towards Souh when he calls her out on her unwanted mediating. It is also shown while visiting Hiroki in the hospital, she gets defensive about why she cannot slice apples into bunnies well: by shouting “W-well it’s not like either of you could do any better!!”
The hypersensitivity towards criticism is due to low self-worth which is prominent in those with the anxious-attachment style

Ameri seeks validation and connection to the point where she will throw away her morals.
Being the head girl of her middle school, she is expected to be perfect, and she lives up to that as it coincides with her need for validation from others (like teachers for example).
However, when a girl is being bullied she ignored it and also lied for Rosa (the popular girl at her school) to get a girl in trouble.
Eventually, when she became friends with Rosa and her clique, she desired to change herself for them (by dyeing her hair and wearing blue contacts) and project a “happier” version of herself so that her new friends don’t abandon her.
Her desire to please Rosa and her new friends even made Ameri ignore Rosa’s passive aggressivness and backhanded compliments.

Due to Ameri’s need for validation, she will bend over backwards to please others. This is shown, after she joined Rosa’s clique she became boyfriend and girlfriend with this guy in her friendgroup even though she was not attracted to him at all (as shown by the scene where her eyes are cold and expressionless when they were talking at the playground)
However, because of the general need to please others, you can become resentful since you feel that your giving yourself emotionally to others and not recieveing the same amount of effort back. And because of this resentfulness it can become an ugly hatred that ties down a person (as it does for Ameri)

Hence the title BOTTLED BLONDE, because she must’ve been feeling that anger and resentment over Rosa’s and her friends behavior towards her, however she tried to push it down and appease them, until the breaking point which was Rosa betraying her by hooking up with her boyfriend. (Even though she has no genuine feelings for her boyfriend, this is why she gets so angry due to the built up resentment)

Since Ameri always pushes away her anger, it comes out in random bursts like when she was in her room wondering whether she likes Hiroki romantically or not and after she left Hiroki’s house after convincing him to tell Souh his feelings. Both times her mind was caught up in the past, thinking about Rosa and her friends.
Clearly, even after a couple years she is not over what happened. Because of no resolution or acceptance being found, Ameri stills hold onto this hatred in her heart. That is what Sumiko tells her, that she has something dark and angry hidden inside. That is why Ameri feels so personally involved and thinks she must fix Hiroki and Souh’s relationship, because on some level it reminds her of Rosa and her relationship thats also why she gets so mad because she is projecting her feelings. Also I suspect, Ameri pushes her rage away because it makes her uncomfortable feeling that way, since she was never taught as a child that its okay to express negative emotions

Finally, Ameri’s anxious attachment style stems from her mother’s emotional dependency on Ameri.
Her mother uses Ameri for support, in order to satisfy her own needs rather than her child; reversing the roles of parent/child dynamic. Although Ameri’s mother appears caring, she is intrusive and over protective. Her behavior is shown when Ameri gets home late: “Jeez, you had me worried! I was this close to calling the cops! You’re okay, right? You didn’t get harassed or lost, did you?” This incessant questioning stresses out a child, and makes them anxious feeling like they did something wrong. Which then makes the child not want to say anything for fear of overreaction.
Her mother’s toxic overbearingness also manifests itself when Ameri says she made new friends and her mother responds with: “I don’t want you getting swept up with bad people just because they say you’re friends, Ameri” “It’s better to have no friends than to have bad company!”
Her mother also will use Ameri as a extension of herself, pushing her beliefs and desires onto her child, in order to satiate her mother’s own hunger for love. Ameri’s mother shows this when she freaks out over Ameri eating only an apple and yogurt for lunch. Ameri’s mother pushes these expectations of “eating healthy” because of her desire to live through Ameri (or because her mother has an eating disorder herself). After freaking out and psychologically abusing Ameri by shouting: “You’re going to gain weight, Ameri!!” “You’re plain, and your grades are terrible- even those glasses!” “Now you’re trying to get fat?!” She then breaks down and makes excuses that she was uptight thanks to meeting her mother today. This behavior makes Ameri feel guilty so she is the one apologizing, even when she should not need to whatsoever. Ameri’s tendency to bottle up her feelings especially anger, is because of her mother. She learned from a young age to not cry or feel anger infront of her mother, since she must’ve freaked out on her, asking whats wrong and then victimizing herself making it all about herself rather than Ameri’s own feelings.
Her mother’s moodswings and erratic behavior create the anxious attachment style, as she never knows when her mother will fly off the handle or start breaking down and sobbing. Her mother victimizes herself, so that Ameri can be the one to validate her emotional needs.

PART 4 — Attachment Styles for Falling From Cloud Nine characters (art and webtoon by mono_krm 🩵) lmao me channeling my inner sumiko

Sumiko – secure attachment style

(I am unsure about her typing at the moment)

Definition:
The secure attachment style is characterized by feeling comfortable with closeness and intimacy, being able to communicate feelings and needs in relationships, and being willing to seek help and support when needed.

Sumiko is able to empathize and express boundaries clearly. This is illustrated when she apologizes to Ameri about Souh’s behavior. Because the ability to empathize and communicate directly is a important skill.

She also can seek support when she needs it. Like when Sumiko calls Souh and tells him that she had the dog dream again. Even though, she was feeling anxious and fearful because of the dream, she still told Souh to look for Hiroki since he went missing rather than comfort her.

She also shows emotional vulnerability when she connects with Hiroki on a deeper level. By telling him the trauma she experienced when she was younger (which she has told no one until now) and that he isn’t crazy either, because Souh also lied to her and tried to convince her it was a dog, even though it was not.

This emotional maturity highlights her secure attachment style as she is able to navigate Souh’s behavior and understand people’s innerworkings (like Hiroki’s and Ameri’s).

Finally, even though she has been independent ever since she was little, she still learned how to communicate healthily and express herself. However, her emotional maturity came from having to regulate her mother’s emotions and keep secrets in the Sato Family (about her mother being a cheater). Her lack of a mother figure, lead her to become independent and teach herself how to be an adult and read psychology so she could understand her brother’s behavior (aswell as others like her mother).
Her mother acts like a child, and is neglectful and emotionally distant by pushing all the parental responibilities onto Sumiko at a young age. Sumiko’s mother does so, so she can go out on dates for weeks on end leaving Sumiko with an empty fridge and some money. She also has had to deal with her mother’s blatant favoritism towards her older brother Souh. This is shown when her mother is comparing Souh calling him her darling pride while she refers to Sumiko as: “She is a mistake”
Sumiko and Souh can’t even have a conversation with their mother, without her losing interest.
Having to navigate this disconnected relationship, has lead her to learn about psychology so she can empower herself with knowledge and the understanding of why people are the way they are.