Hey guys - none of this stuff is probably incredibly new or insightful, but just to reiterate on a few key principles of seduction from my perspective that have helped a lot:

1) The different mindsets when out and about that define failure or success for me are:

A) (before, at my worst) I'm in an awkward position, I'm not in my best mental/physical state for approaching strangers, it'd look awkward approaching in this situation, other guys here have more value than me, I can't vibe with this crowd, etc. Everyone is a potential enemy who would think bad of me if I talked to them.

or

B) (at my best) Your life is good, and you are generally happy with who you are (core confidence). You are here to have fun, and by interacting with strangers, there is a 90% chance that your and their night will be more fun, because you can bring your fun vibe to their (possibly awkward) group. When I'm in my best state, everyone is a potential friend, and I just assume the best and start throwing jokes around - give them something funny to respond to, instead of just asking a needy 'hi can i hang out with you?'. Get a little bit sarcastic meta (making fun of your situation) if you must: "Hi, I TOOOTALLY fell in love with you from afar, and I knew if I didn't say hi, we would never get married." or "hey, my friends disappeared - can I join your party? I promise I won't make out with anyone". Obviously calibrate for the situation, but never lose your underlying purpose to have fun and joke around.

1.5) (taken from RSD) When you're out and need a perspective-check, tell yourself: "ADVENTURE. ADVENTURE!!" - that's what you're out here for, go have some adventures!

2) (also taken from RSD) BURN SETS TO THE GROUND! Whenever you interact with someone that you have no social connections with, always be escalating and don't abandon the set - that girl you had a pleasant conversation with and decided to cut it off at a 'meh' point could have been much more if you ignored your desire to leave a 'non-optimal' set and go for broke. If you know it's likely a set is about to fizzle out (one of you has to leave soon, etc), you will only regret it if you don't start going more direct and seeing how far you can go with that one. I think we all can look back and remember interactions we wish we took further - remember that for next time, and burn that set to the ground! Don't leave until she gives you the serious 'no, seriously, this is over' face. Obviously, you can plan to re-open sets throughout the night, so don't sweat it if you need to temporarily bail. You should aim for leaving a girl A) rejecting you explicitly, or B) closing somehow. If she feels you were a nice guy that was too polite to get direct, you have failed (this is assuming you were interested in her).

3) People generally expect (and like) to be approached (so long as that person isn't being a douchebag, obnoxious, or inconsiderate). For those who seem to not enjoy being approached, if you are in a generally fun state, it is usually because they are dealing with their own insecurities of interacting with strangers, not necessarily judging you. Even if they do judge you, remember that these people only know your 10-minute surface persona of your interaction, and they don't know you nearly well enough to really judge you.

4) Sidenote: since working out and updating my wardrobe, interacting with people has been much smoother, and self-doubt often disappears with a balanced approach to self-improvement. To be your best self, you should take care of your mind (knowledge and skills), body (exercise,diet,appearance), and 'soul' (how you think and feel about yourself and others, reflective of your personal philosophy).

Thanks to all who contribute to this community, it continues to make me a more confident, happier person - for those who have 'figured themselves out' by the advice here, pay it forward and share the concepts and perspectives with anyone you know who might benefit from it.