I've always had trouble making friends when growing up, mainly because I had a really disorienting childhood that involved a lot of moving. Moving schools at first was hard, but then it got easier when I just learnt to yolo, let go of every ounce of my pride and to some extent (my dignity and feelings), and scare as many people as I could in my short time at those schools. I made some really great friendships; sure they were temporary, but it was well worth it, as I found myself quite enjoying their company more so than I had anticipated. Even those that didn't end so well, I learnt a lot about myself as well as my own failings, which I try even now to work on. I like to think that everything I do as a work in progress.
Everyone has some weird thing going on with them; but you can't discover that until you really hear them talk. Not everyone has good looks to attract a following. I sure am pretty average-looking as hell so I usually like to assume that anyone who has laid eyes on me probably won't be rushing in line to meet me. So I've learnt to compensate, and at intervals of time when I feel it right I'd just forget that I was an introvert and let loose.
A good way to make friends I've learnt (it obviously won't work for everyone haha) is to impulsively throw yourself at the nearest person and latch onto them, and wander, search, lock target, and attach yourself liberally onto the next victim until you discover yourself a loyal amiable host. In my primary school days or as I like to call my 'decade of lonely times by the flower pots', I learnt to embrace my obsessiveness and dorkiness. It's a lot easier - at least for me - if someone gets firsthand your more extreme flavours first; because I like that part of myself the most, and it's usually the first thing most people would become most uncomfortable with
after they get to know me, so I usually make it a point to observe how they react when I release these demonic furie-s-- I mean, babies. Now I understand that there is a fine line of being eccentric and insincere; so while I encourage wildness, I'd also be weary of manners, sensibility, and general good sense and conventions.
Keep pestering them and feeding off th--em- I mean, inviting them to eat sandwiches with you, volunteering to wash their windows, shopping with them, doing as many mundane stuff with them, and all of a sudden you've got yourself a friend (yay). But I guess this only works when you have a keen eye for observing and knowing what kind of person you know who can *probably* tolerate you and your idiosyncrasies or at least the things you value most in yourself. You could very well do this with people who have no respect for your personal liberties; but if it were up to me, I usually take precautions so no one is hurt haha.
Personally, I tend to hover around people who seem normal on the outside (or a bit introverted) but when you converse with them it would be like tango on clouds consisting of rainbows and shittily-adjudicated debates about Lizzy Macguire. I know the word 'judgmental' gets a bad reputation, but I actually think it's quite healthy to be able to assess someone when you talk to them. I usually get vivid impressions and I work with those after a conversation etc. --of course, never during, because you risk making it known to the person what you think of them haha *and a flood of all my middle school years comes to mind*.
Call my strategy bad, and I know it hasn't been long, but I'm celebrating two years to some of the closest friendships and probably (sad but true) the most secure relationship I've had in my life due to this sneaky strategy (hehe). They're all at uni now, and I'm still doing VCE, but we still make it a point to put popcorn in the microwave and skype ourselves watching Pride and Prejudice w/ Coliin Firth for the zenith time when we're all too dead in the morning/afternoon to do exactly the same thing but at each other's house. There's always a chance of your friends drifting; and I think that's natural, and even now I know for a fact that that will most likely happen even to my said current friendships. Nothing lasts, but you always have the option of making the most of what you can with any relationship you choose to enter.
People say you can't force friendships; but because my circumstances have always been that I could either make new friends or fade into obscurity, I always made exceptions to how much you could bring to a relationship at any one time. I'm kind of used to it now (though I'm still very much naturally inclined to introspection) and when the opportunity strikes I try my best to give my friendship to someone who might receive it well
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