r/Advice•
Frahdah

People actively paint me as intimidating, unreasonable and even dangerous/aggressive to avoid responsibility of their awful actions toward me and I cannot cope no matter what real life advice or therapy I get.

Apologies in advance; it needs some background info, but I'll try to keep it brief.

I've been living in a studenthouse for a few years now. The first year I had a relationship with someone there and it was generally great. But, after having to carry most things in the relationship (from keeping yourself alive to emotional labor) for a long time, I told them something had to change or I wouldn't know how to continue (previously discussed, this wasn't out of nowhere). They again decided keep quiet and let me sit in silence after having opening my heart, so, we broke up.

Not shortly after, they started showing improvement in the things I asked about, so, we got closer again. While this happened, they started flirting with someone else too. I've had a rough path regarding dating in general which left me some emotional scarring (in addition to attachment issues that probably caused those in the first place). I considered the 3rd person a friend as well and the situation was just generally difficult. Now, despite seeing this developing felt like prying and ripping in unhealed scars, I tried to communicate with both of them what would happen inside of me might this indeed happen, and that if sth would happen between them, that I needed clarity and space to cope/move/deal etc.

Admittedly, Ive also been wrong, as I kept pushing for clarity. I don't think it is entirely unfair since it started very quick after we dated (you could even call it overlap), and it was obviously hurting me while I was just trying to get my shit together and make myself a meal. It hurt and I tried to find certainty outside of me to cope with the pain I experienced which resulted in me talking about it with roommates somewhat obsessively. When it finally happened, they found something to start a fight about, refused to allow me to explain, and used that as justification to demonize me, in combination with me trying to talk about what was happening in the months before that. Well, I obviously crashed down hard, got depressed and had no real place to go and work through it. Every time I would ask for space in the form of predictability or just staying away for a bit, it was used to paint me as a scary individual who would not leave them alone. I tried to find other places, but I was just too depressed, and thus other candidates were obviously preferred.

After the sixth time in half a year I tried to reach out to make some agreement/arrangements to make the situation livable, they started putting in complaints. All while refusing to talk to me. In these complaints, they say that I won't leave them alone, I am unable to hold a conversation with etc. I've always been the type of person to try to talk things out no matter how difficult. So it really hit me being treated like this, and also, that nobody outside of it would speak up. Anyways, the complaints came through, and no matter what I told the landlord, they were adamant that I was the problem and I should leave (I have contacted a lawyer by now and we are going after the landlord for intimidation based on complaints that are nothing but bogus).

Well, I feel like I'm still missing half the story and background, but this seems long enough. Ive been betrayed and demonized because these people could not face their own feelings. They went so far as to file (false) complaints about me to such an extent that the landlord is trying to kick me out (suing the feller). The landlord offered me another place which is nice. But the thing is that I'm being pushed out and that makes me feel insecure/bad about myself for letting myself get pushed around. I tried to negotiate with them where they would admit I didn't do anything wrong, and, where they would provide me the opportunity to have a talk with my roommates, without them undermining me and threatening me with eviction due to being "intimidating" and "dangerous".

We got somewhere but I feel no alleviation. I feel only more angry now. Im angry that I walked away and that I didnt just trust myself to 'ignore' the landlord until he pulls me to court, and to just talk to my roommates, regardless of what they portray me as. I feel like that's what I should have done for months, but, the threats from my landlord made me refrain/scared. Every bone in my body says I will regret it for the rest of my life if I leave in silence, but on the other hand I don't know what is the tactical thing to say/do so that I don't confirm their ideas to the rest of the world (i.e. if you raise your voice, you are indeed intimidating, no matter the reason before it), while also not allowing people to be so incredibly mean and destructive to my character to such an extent I loathe myself for allowing it.

TLDR; people have been calling me intimidating and dangerous to my landlord to avoid difficult topics about conversations they don't like, but which they did create. I've been intimidated by my landlord to think that I can't speak up to my roommates. I need advice in how to approach this with just a few days to go, so that I don't confirm their accusations, but to also speak up for myself in a way that leaves a mark so that I won't regret it later (such as you hear adults express their regret that they never hit back their high school bully).

Posted Apr 5, 2026, 2:49 AM UTC

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