It's really weird realizing that I'm 24 and I'm having trouble trying to figure out how to make new friends.

When I was in high school I'd just strike up a conversation with anyone. But now I feel all nervous and anxious. After seeing so much crap on tumblr and had people make complete 180 personality changes on me that I met in fandoms there, I'm actually scared of basically everyone I see online. I'm nervous and suspicious.

Usually people don't talk to me because I look plain (aka I don't dye my hair or have any awesome piercings or tattoos), and they don't think my art is good enough. They've never seen how well I can cosplay, and I don't make a lot of money at all.

In other words, they don't talk to me because they can't get anything out of me.

Overall I should be happy about that, but at the same time I sit here trying to reach out to people and get consistently ignored.

Not to mention a good 90% of the people here in Florida turn out to be batshit crazy.

So this little bunny just sits here and shivers and looks around trying to figure out who is safe to talk to.

How do you guys make friends? How do you choose who to talk to?

People have been telling me I'm an introvert lately and I don't like it. I used to be so outgoing and happy. But after being physically attacked by someone I lived with who I thought was my friend, everything's kinda just gone downhill.

I don't want sympathy. I just want to make friends.

Advice anyone?