#Cheap Drone with Good Camera

[dronesdeli]

Cheap Drone with Good Camera - Dronesdeli

A cheap drone with a good camera includes budget-friendly options like the Ryze Tello, offering 720p HD video and easy controls. The Holy Stone HS720 also delivers 4K video, GPS, and intelligent flight modes at an affordable price. These drones provide excellent camera performance for beginners and casual users without breaking the bank.

[vivwritescrappythings]

Unfair

no outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader

an au about Joel attending a wedding simply inspired by Pedro's slutty little fit at the SAG awards.

part 2

tw: age gap (late 20s/late 40s), fingering, oral (f receiving), p in v sex, unprotected sex, creampie, dirty talk, alcohol, she/her pronouns, reader has hair long enough to twist around her finger, Joel is probably poorly written in this, and this whole thing is a little poorly written.

word count: 7.2k

MDNI

masterlist

–

Your mom was smiling as you zipped her into her gown, the chiffon and lace dress gorgeous on her as you fastened the eyelet closed at the top of the bodice. You could feel the lens of the photographer’s camera trained on you both, the woman having been with you the entire morning to document the process of the bridal party getting ready. 

The photographer was fluttering around the room, taking candid photos of you all making small talk and toasting mimosas. The posed photos had been earlier that morning, you all wearing your matching silk robes with your names screen-printed on the back. You didn’t know how much had been spent on the whole production–but it certainly wasn’t cheap. But, to see your mom glowing and her wide smile all morning, every penny must have been more than worth it.

Before you realized, you all wore dresses and bouquets of white flowers with magnificent greenery were being thrust in your hands. The wedding planner was ushering everyone out onto the stone walkway to the barn, women finally meeting men just outside the farmhouse turned wedding venue. The best man looked vaguely familiar to you as you placed your hand in the crook of his elbow to walk down the aisle, he must have been Shawn's eldest brother.

The officiant droned: he just repeated the same platitudes of what it means to love one another and be good spouses. You tried to stay focused, your eyes inevitably wandering. The ceremony space was picturesque: southern live oaks casting shadows in the late autumn sun as they married in front of the barn. It really couldn’t get more Texas than that, especially when you counted the number of cowboy hats in the crowd. 

You could feel someone staring at you for the better part of the ceremony, making you glance out of the corner of your eye as you tried to find the source. Every fiber of you wanted to turn and look in earnest, but you knew that you’d ruin the photos as soon as your body twisted and your happy, grinning face wasn’t facing the bride and groom on the best day of their lives. 

Your grip tightened around the bouquet in your hands as your skin crawled, your focus so jarred that you almost missed your cue to walk out. The cheers and clapping woke you from your reverie before the best man had to. Grasping him by the elbow, you walked back up the aisle between the celebrating wedding guests, the feeling of being watched now fading to the background.

—

When you finally made it to the renovated barn, you were starving and in desperate need of a drink. The photos had run long, the photographers getting you all in a variety of line ups and poses. It was almost time for the plated dinner to begin, guests settling at assigned tables after a cocktail hour and the live band playing quiet music in the corner of the half-inside half-outside space that would eventually serve as the dance floor.

The orange lighting from string lights along the ceiling was soft, mismatched Edison bulbs hanging along zigzagged wires from wooden rafters. It painted the guests and decor in gold tones, making everything look sepia like an old photo.

With your double shot vodka tonic in hand, you found your name written in gold calligraphy on the seating chart. Your mom and her new husband were sitting together at a small table at the front of the room, a faux-neon sign behind them that displayed his last name. Well, their last name now. 

You were at one of the front tables, the ivory table cloth nearly brushing the shiny wooden floor as you plucked your name card off your plate and sat down. There were only a few people you knew at the wedding, neighbors from the neighborhood you grew up in and a handful of your mother’s coworkers. But, they were seated elsewhere. 

Some of the seats on the opposite side of the sprawling white and green centerpiece were occupied with strangers in flamboyant cowboy hats and boots, an obvious sign they were from out of town. You smiled politely as you sat down, taking a long sip of your drink as you checked your phone for the moment of downtime. 

“This seat taken?” A deep, twangy voice made your gaze cut away from the screen and up to the right. You were immediately dumbstruck by how handsome the man was, his umber colored eyes reminding you of the sunlight hitting the tree trunks during the ceremony. A few of his dark brown curls were falling on his tanned forehead, the rest of his hair loosely pushed back. 

You floundered for a moment, lips parting and no words coming out of your mouth. Finally you caught up, blinking a few times. The place card in front of the ornate gold and white place setting next to yours was your saving grace. “Well, uh, if you’re Joel M., the seat is all yours,” you said, looking back up at him.

God, you hoped he was Joel.

He smiled, the lines on his face becoming a bit more defined as he extended a hand toward you. “Joel Miller, nice to meet you…” he trailed off, waiting for your assistance. 

You slipped your hand into his, his calloused palm engulfing yours as he shook it politely. You introduced yourself, neck craned back so you could look him in the eye. He released your hand and sat down, setting the glass he was holding next to yours on the table cloth. 

“So how do you know the couple?” Joel asked you, his gaze dragging over you. You tried not to squirm under the weight of it, your face feeling hot as you set your phone face-down on the table. The way he looked at you made you feel like a bug caught under a microscope.

“The bride is my mom,” you said, fiddling with the elegantly folded cloth napkins for a moment. You glanced at her briefly, watching her giggle at something Shawn had said. 

Joel nodded, a huff of a laugh following. “No shit, so you’re the stepdaughter?” he asked, an eyebrow raised as a smirk lifted the corner of his lip. One of your eyebrows lifted of its own volition, his reaction catching you off guard.

“Do I have a reputation?” A sip of your drink helped wet your dry tongue, your eyes trained on him over the rim of your glass. There was a spike of anxiety in your chest, the temporary fear that he’d heard something bad about you filling your mind. You held your glass in your hand as you crossed your legs at the ankle, waiting for his response.

Joel paused to take a drink, a hand scrubbing over his beard as he looked back at you. He shook his head, waving a hand in a way that was meant to be placating. “Shawn told me about you, said you just moved back to town a few months ago.” 

“Um, yeah, actually. Moved back from Denver,” you said, bashful that the subject of you even came up. You hadn’t realized that you were important enough in Shawn’s life to mention, especially to his friends. Of course, there wasn’t animosity between the two of you, just what you assumed was limited interest. Most men didn't bother to learn too much about their adult stepchildren.

You were both leaning forward as you spoke, the music and chatter of the other guests making the barn a little too loud to hear one another clearly at a distance. He was looking down at his drink, giving you an opportunity to study his profile. Joel was easily twenty years your senior, the dark beard on his jawline threaded through with patches of silver hair. 

“So—“ Joel started, getting cut off by the shuffle of the last people to their seats and an arm thrust between the two of you. The waiters serving the plated dinner made you sit upright in your chair, the soft fabric of your dress fluttering as you put some space between Joel and yourself. 

You didn’t realize how hungry you were until you took the first bite of your food, a sigh escaping you as your eyelashes batted against your cheeks. Conversation floated around your head, you caught polite questions about Joel’s construction business and half-assed replies.

For some reason your mother had put you at a table full of Shawn’s friends, maybe in an attempt to help you get to know him better.

“So you’re a contractor?” you asked after your hunger had been satiated. You’d gotten a refill on your drink from one of the waiters, nursing a fresh vodka tonic as you looked at Joel.

He chewed his steak methodically, nodding as he turned slightly to look at you. “Been building houses for years, my brother, Tommy, works with me,” Joel said after he swallowed, taking his cloth napkin off his wide thigh to wipe the corner of his mouth. 

“Do you like it?” you asked after a moment of contemplation, tilting your head to one side as you looked at him.

There was something about him that kept you smiling, your lips curved like a bow as you sipped your drink from the straw. You studied his features while you could, his aquiline nose and his full lower lip intriguing. Way too intriguing for someone who was your stepfather’s friend.

“Pays the bills, keeps the roof over me and Sarah’s heads.” Joel finished his plate, picking up his drink and leaning back in his seat. 

Sarah? Your eyes dropped to his left hand, not seeing a ring on any of the fingers. Not even a tan line. He noticed it, making your face burn as he chuckled. “Sarah? Your…”

“Daughter,” he cut in helpfully. Daughter, he had a daughter. You exhaled, relieved. But, did he have a wife? No ring, never mentioned her. He would’ve brought her up by now. She would've attended the wedding with him. You chewed the inside of your cheek for a moment, taking a breath as you rationalized.  

Your mouth opened to ask another question when glasses were chimed and dinner was cleared away. Champagne flutes were passed around, and to your horror you realized it was time for your toast. You stood in a fluid motion, adjusting your gown and your hair before heading toward the microphone next to the table with the bride and groom.

–

You spent the rest of the night getting drunk. Champagne became cocktails and cocktails became shots–all with your mother and new stepfather and family and friends from your childhood. Tipsiness made you remove your heels, kicking them off to the side to a forgotten corner as your aching feet pressed against the polished floor. 

The dance floor was cramped, the band having transitioned partway through the night to someone’s phone with a playlist hooked up to the speakers. You watched your mom laugh as she was spun around by her new husband, making you smile as you nursed your glass of wine. 

“You lost something.” Joel approached, pointing to your strappy heels with a lazy finger. 

You grinned, your teeth digging into your lower lip for a moment as you looked up at him. “Looks like you did, too–a few things actually,” you said, nodding toward his shucked suit jacket and tie. The top few buttons of his white shirt were open, revealing just enough of his tanned chest to feel dangerous. He was more disheveled than before, a chilled beer bottle held loosely in his fingers and his cheeks flushed.

Joel chuckled, taking a step closer to you as he took a long drink from his beer. You watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed, taking a sip of your red wine in tandem.

There was something about this man that had you all kinds of flustered, a giddy lightness in your chest when he focused his attention on you. “So why aren’t you out there dancing?” Joel asked, his warm eyes surveying the dance floor before returning.

You shook your head, a demure smile and a shrug. “Never was much of a dancer.” The last time you really danced was wasted at a frat party in college, the lights low and the music making the house shake. Far from a respectable barn wedding, and definitely not your mother’s respectable barn wedding. 

“That’s a shame,” Joel smiled at you, pressing just a bit closer, “a pretty girl like you should be out there.” 

You were surprised by the compliment, nearly choking on your wine as your eyebrows lifted. Joel was smirking, his whole body leaning toward yours. You were warm to the touch, your entire face burning under his attentions. It felt like you were in high school again, pining after some older boy that you assumed would never look at you twice–but here he was, looking.

“Do you always flirt with your friend’s stepdaughters?” you asked, hoping to come off as hard to get. Realistically, he already had you in the palm of his hand.

Joel pursed his lips, something mischievous flashing in his dark eyes for a moment. “Just the ones that look like you,” he said, his deep voice low. It was almost too quiet to hear over the music, making you shift forward so you could hear him better.

“Joel.” It would've been chastising if it wasn’t for your bright smile. He exuded an easy confidence that was magnetic, it had your nerves on fire as you selfishly hoped that he would do more than just flirt with you. Your gaze was on his lips for a moment, taking in the lines of his full bottom lip and tidy mustache before meeting his eyes again.

“The couple is getting ready to leave!” You both looked toward the door and watched the wedding planner usher guests out the barn doors. Sparklers were thrust in everyone’s hands, the photographer already positioned at the end of the walkway near the rented white Rolls Royce.

Joel’s hand found the small of your back, warm through the thin fabric of your dress as he guided you toward the door. The wedding planner handed him two sparklers, the long kind that wobbled under their own weight. 

The guests had divided into two lines, waiters lighting sparklers on either side of the column created. Joel handed you one as you stood at his side, your bare feet on the warm concrete. You held it out from your body, focused on the bright sizzle of the sparks as they made their way down the lines of powder.

Your mother and Shawn walked through the column of sparklers on cue, laughing and smiling while holding hands. They looked so happy. You could hardly imagine being that happy with someone.

She broke off for a moment to embrace you, making Joel thoughtfully pluck the sparkler out of your fingers so you didn’t burn her. 

Tears pushed at your eyelids, overwhelming joy for your mother finally breaking free of your chest. You whispered ‘I love you’s into one another’s ears and pressed kisses to cheeks as you clung to each other. The photographer’s camera was shuttering nearby, catching every intimate moment.

Finally you let her go, tearful and smiling as Shawn pulled her toward the car that would take them to their hotel. Joel’s large hand found the curve of your waist, bringing you to his side as you watched your mother get into the car. 

You were tipsy enough to allow it.

He was warm, smelling like cigar smoke and whiskey and cologne. You both were quiet as you watched the car pull away, your shoulders fitting in the space between his arm and torso.

“You wanna help me find my jacket? Think I left it around back when I was smoking a cigar with Shawn,” Joel murmured into your hair. His fingers pressed into your waist, his breath on your neck.

It was enough to distract you. You blinked your tears away, fingertips brushing at the corners of your eyes to make sure your makeup was still intact. “Sure,” you whispered, looking up at him after you’d composed yourself.

Your heart skipped a beat when Joel took your hand, tugging you along with him down the path on the outside of the barn. Both of you were tipsy, giggling and stumbling a bit over the paving stones that had been set in the tall grass. The lights faded behind you, the dim glow through the high windows of the barn and the solitary strand of Edison bulbs between the trees just enough to navigate by. 

It all happened so fast, you didn’t even know who initiated it. Joel’s calloused hands were cupping your cheeks and jaw, tilting your head up as your lips met his. He tasted like whiskey and the sweet wedding cake, making you sigh into the kiss as your fingers twisted in his shirt and pulled him close. 

You had to stand on your tip toes to kiss him properly, a few soft laughs escaping the both of you when the hard cartilage of your noses bumped and teeth clashed. 

He took steps forward until your shoulder blades pressed against the side of the barn. Joel crowded you in, one hand leaving your cheek to brace against the wood behind your waist as he swiped his tongue along your bottom lip. You could feel him smiling.

You always found French kissing to be weird, never knowing quite what to do with your tongue. Whenever a guy had initiated it you managed to cut it off quickly, moving on to some other method of making out to spare yourself the embarrassment of letting your tongue sit there like a dead fish.

Of course you’d seen people do it, always seeming like a lot more licking each other than kissing. Nevertheless, the second time Joel ran his tongue along the seam of your lips you found yourself parting them for him.

Suddenly, you understood. Joel’s tongue massaged over yours as he groaned softly. You wanted him to consume you, letting him take control as he explored your mouth. He tilted your head back more, leaning over you with his full height. You flicked your tongue along his, spine arching toward him in an attempt to get closer.

The horn of the hotel shuttle startled you as you broke apart, chests heaving and your lipstick smeared onto Joel’s mouth. 

“You staying at the same hotel as everyone else?” Joel asked, nosing at your hairline as his hands roamed over your dress. He bunched it in his fists, raising the hem above your calves and wrinkling the fabric.

“I am,” you breathed, twisting your fingers in his thick curls. 

Joel smiled against your earlobe, nipping at it. “Wanna continue this in my room? Got a king size bed and everything,” he drawled, pulling back to look down at you. There was a sparkle in his eyes, his smile was breathtaking.

You wiped your lipstick off his bottom lip with your thumb, suddenly feeling a bit shy. “You sure?” you asked, folding your arms over your chest in a form of protection from Joel’s possible rejection. 

He offered, but there was still a part of you that was worried.

He furrowed his brow, a smile still on his face as he looked down at you in the dark. “'Course I’m sure. Go get your shoes, baby, and I’ll see you on the shuttle.” Joel spun you toward the nearest door to the barn, lightly smacking your ass go get you moving.

You yelped, swatting at his hand with a glare. 

“Go on, before I ruin that pretty dress of yours in the dirt out here,” he told you, a smirk on his face as he nodded his chin toward the door. You rolled your eyes, acquiescing to his instructions.

—

It took Joel no time to get you down the hall from the packed elevator and to his room. He clumsily tapped his keycard against the sensor, stamping kisses along the side of your neck as you giggled in the cage of his arms.

Finally he got it to unlock, tightening an arm around your waist as he pushed the door open. Joel took wide, staggered steps on either side of your body as he ushered you inside. 

As soon as the door snapped shut he was already lifting the bottom of your dress, kisses turning into bites on the curve of your neck. “Jo-el,” you whined through giggles as you grabbed the forearm he’d locked around your waist. 

“Unfair that you’re this fucking pretty,” he mumbled, making your face heat up as you tried to protest. Joel shushed you by grabbing a handful of the meat of your thigh, groaning in your ear. 

“How’s it unfair?” you managed to ask, your head spinning from the overwhelming presence of Joel. His rough, calloused hands were groping at your soft flesh, his lips sucking marks on your neck like you were teenagers. 

The room was relatively untouched, his open suitcase on the stand near the large windows on the far side of the room. The curtains were slightly open, moonlight filtering in. “S’unfair that I didn’t meet you sooner,” Joel said, scraping his blunt teeth over the sensitive spot just under your earlobe. You shivered in his arms.

He separated from you just enough to shuck his suit jacket that he had haphazardly put on for the shuttle, tossing it on the little sofa in the room. You turned after stepping out of your heels, linking your hands behind Joel’s neck and pulling him in for another kiss. 

Joel smiled into it, his hands grabbing your waist and holding you flush against his body. “You still wanna do this?” His fingers moved to your spine and played with the zipper on the back of your dress, looking down at you as he waited for your answer. "Don't want you to feel pressured or anything."

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be,” you murmured, carding your fingers in his thick curls.

Joel just groaned, pressing you flush against him as he captured you in another needy kiss. He pulled the zipper of your dress down in one fluid motion, making a shiver prickle up the length of your spine.

“Let me see ya, baby,” he said against your mouth, pulling the thick straps of your dress down your arms. 

You let the fabric pool at your feet, your sheer, skin-colored bra and panties leaving little to the imagination. A wave of insecurity flashed over you, your skin suddenly feeling stretched too tight over your body as your face and neck heated up. 

You were too aware of the parts of yourself that you didn’t like: the dimpled flesh on the outside of your thighs and the hairs you hadn’t plucked away because the wedding was the last place you thought you’d find a one night stand. A wobbly smile formed, your instinct making you bury your face in Joel’s neck to hide.

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled, his voice so quiet you almost didn’t hear his praise. His massive hands ran down your sides, thumbing at the mesh of your bra and panties before he started moving you backwards.

Your calves hit the bed, making you squawk in an unflattering way as Joel lowered you to the mattress. “You’re so gorgeous,” he breathed, his lips trailing down your neck until he was kissing and sucking at your sternum. He nudged your knees apart with his free hand, his other forearm planted on the mattress to hold his weight off of you. He slotted himself in the space between your thighs as his tongue laved over your nipple through the mesh fabric of your bra.

The noise that came out of your throat was embarrassing. Your breath turned into a strangled moan, eyebrows pinching together. The sensation only made your arousal increase tenfold, spine already arching to press your tit against his mouth. 

Joel chuckled, soft brown eyes ticking up to look at your face. “That sensitive?” he said, more of a statement than a question. You found yourself nodding anyway. He thumbed at your other nipple, making it bud against the thin fabric and pulling another whine from your throat. He snickered.

“Don’t tease,” you huffed, wiggling your hips and lightly squeezing his sides with your knees. 

“Don’t worry, baby,” Joel muttered, a smile stretching on his lips as he rolled the pad of his thumb over your nipple again. He placed kisses along your stomach, making you suck in the soft flesh on reflex. His coarse facial hair tickled your skin, making you giggle a bit as he continued to work his way down your form.

“Just wanna taste ya, okay?” Joel asked, his broad shoulders between your spread thighs. His thick fingers hooked into your panties, manipulating your legs so he could pull them off and toss them somewhere in the room. He pressed your legs apart before you could snap them shut, a seed of worry taking root in your mind as you looked down at him.

You’d never been so self-conscious during a hook-up before, but for some reason Joel felt different. Your thoughts were preoccupied on how you looked from his vantage point, if you smelled alright and if anything looked weird.

“Been wanting to taste you all night, ever since I saw you standing up there during that damn ceremony.”

He spread you apart with his thumbs, eyes focused on your already wet pussy as a smirk stretched across his features. He just stared, making you want to crawl back into yourself. Then the feeling of his tongue on your clit makes you forget your worries, your face scrunching as you moaned. Joel hooked your leg over his shoulder, your heel pressing against his back as he pushed your thighs even further apart. 

You couldn’t remember a time when you’d been so soaked before, sticky arousal practically gushing out of you. Joel’s wide tongue licked long stripes up your cunt, careful to practically gulp down everything that he could. He was groaning as he ate you out, his big hands digging into your waist to pull you closer. The coarse hair of his beard was rough against the soft skin of your inner thighs 

“Oh–oh god, Joel,” you sighed, propping yourself up on an elbow so you could look at him. 

Your thighs were quaking, pressing against his ears as your hips twitched. Joel’s dark eyes were hazy and half lidded as he lapped over your clit, working with a focus you’d never experienced with any other man. He looked beautiful between your legs, belly-down on the mattress and still dressed in his button down shirt and slacks. 

One of his hands left your hip, snaking up your stomach to reach blindly until he cupped your breast. He pulled at the cup of your bra, revealing your peaked nipple. The bud was immediately pinched between his thumb and forefinger, making you arch your back as you let out another whine of his name.

Joel dipped down to shove his searing tongue inside of you as his nose bumped into the swollen bead of your clit. A bolt of lightning ricocheted up your spine, a gasp leaving you. It felt so good you could almost cry, your chest heaving and hips clumsily grinding toward his mouth. You were already starting to tremble, pleasure sparking in the pit of your stomach as he mouthed at you. 

And then he pulled back.

“Joel!” you yelped, starting to sit up as your gaze hardened into a glare. Your pussy clenched around nothing, neglected and empty with an interrupted orgasm.

He huffed a laugh, looking down at you as he knelt on the bed in front of you. “You’re right, baby, that’s my name,” he teased, his voice deep and smokey. 

He grabbed you roughly by the hips, pulling so you fell to your back again. “You fucker–” Joel cut you off by pressing the backs of your knees until you were bent in half, a brief show of just how strong he was. His calloused hands gripped the soft flesh of your ass, readjusting you again so the small of your back was propped up against his quads. You’d never been in this angle before, your pussy the highest point of your body as he pushed his forearms against your thighs to keep you still.

Joel’s hot breath washed over your cunt before he delved back into it, greedy as he started sucking on your clit. With the way you were contorted, you were completely helpless, any attempt to move your hips just made your thighs push uselessly against his arms. You were soaking, your arousal dripping down to your asshole as you whimpered pathetically.

He went at a leisurely pace, taking his time to tongue at you and lick long stripes from your perineum to your clit. Your hands were clenching in the white comforter on the hotel bed, your chest heaving. There was something about being completely at his mercy that made your head spin.

You wanted to be greedy, take everything he would give you; but, Joel was in no rush, languidly pressing his face into your pussy despite your best efforts to get him to speed up. 

It was overwhelming in all the right ways, your head spinning as you watched Joel lick at you like he wanted to consume every part of you. Joel cupped your breast in a hand, strumming his thumb lightly over your nipple to keep it stimulated as you gasped. 

You were delirious by the time he sunk two fingers into you, almost making you scream. Joel took a few breaths, his pink lips swollen and shiny with your arousal as he studied your expression. You could hardly think straight, strings of curses mixed with his name falling from your lips as you panted like a bitch in heat. 

The squelching sound of his fingers lazily pumping into your pussy filled the hotel room, loud enough to make your cheeks burn. You wetted your lips, trying to catch your breath beneath Joel.

“So fucking tight around my fingers,” Joel mumbled, the words muffled and wet because he didn’t pull away. It didn’t even feel like he was talking to you, communing with your pussy instead. The praise went directly to your head, making you tighten around his fingers. You threaded a hand in his hair, keeping his mouth pressed against you. “Tastes just as good as I expected.”

“Oh… oh my god,” you breathed, your climax building toward its precipice. 

Joel wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked, just barely speeding up the rhythm of his fingers fucking into you. His thumb on your nipple followed suit, matching the motion as tears filled your eyes. Your fingers threaded into his curls, your brows furrowed as you pulled on his hair. He grunted against you, not letting up as he worked you up toward the edge. 

When you came it was a whole body event. Your legs trembled, hips burning from the awkward angle Joel had bent you into. Your back arched, breath pausing in your chest. Your cunt clenched around his fingers, sucked tight and feeling every inch of them inside you. The pleasure was white-hot as it coursed through you, leaving your nerves buzzing and your ears ringing as your body went limp.

“So pretty when you come,” Joel said, his thick fingers still deep inside you.

You were almost nonverbal, your response a delirious sob as you looked up at Joel with watery eyes. He caressed your cheek, gently stroking your jaw and thumb wiping over your lower lip. You kissed the pad of it out of reflex, the motion making his expression soften for a moment.

Then he started to massage the spongy spot inside of your dripping pussy, making your eyes roll back. “Too sensitive,” you whined, grabbing onto his forearm in a weak attempt to stop him. 

“Trust me, baby, I’ve got you,” he said in that syrupy tone, gaze still locked on your face as you squirmed. He took his hand away from your cheek, holding one of your legs to keep you still as he fucked his fingers into you. “You can do one more for me, right?”

The need to please him made you nod, taking in a deep and shaky breath. You couldn’t do anything but take it, your mouth dropping open and your back arching. The overstimulation made you tremble, your whole body squirming. Breaths kept huffing out of you, your brows pinched tight as you tried to relax. It was hard to think straight, hell, it was hard to even breathe. 

Joel pulled his fingers out of you for a moment to strum over your swollen clit, only touching you with just enough pressure to drive you crazy. He continued until you were straining against him, moaning and sobbing his name. It was like he was carved from stone, hardly giving you any leeway as he kept you in place. The pressure in you built faster this time, it was almost embarrassing how quick he was able to get you to the edge. 

“Joel, Joel, Joel–ohmygod,” you gasped, reaching for purchase against his thigh. His dress pants were soft under your fingers as you squeezed, your body practically vibrating. 

“I know, baby, I know,” he murmured soothingly, pressing a wet kiss to the back of your thigh as his fingers hooked back into you. 

Joel fucked you on them at a ruthless pace as his thumb rolled over the crest of your sex, your mouth opening in a wordless cry as you fell into your second orgasm of the night. You were completely lost, your eyes squeezed shut as your muscles spasmed against the restraint of Joel’s arms. White noise filled your mind, your body melting against Joel’s thighs and the bed as your legs fell open even further. 

He rubbed along the seam of your cunt soothingly, calloused fingers working you through the aftershocks. Your eyes were completely hazed when you looked up at him, splayed on the bed like every bone had been pulled from your body. He looked positively giddy, his wet fingers smearing on your thigh as he rubbed your legs in an effort to help you come back to yourself.

Joel let you off of him, returning your spine to the mattress as he leaned over you to give you a kiss. You hummed into it, smelling and tasting your salty-sweet slick on his lips and facial hair. “Please fuck me,” you begged between presses of his mouth, desperation easy to hear in your tone.

“‘Course I will, baby,” he said, getting off the bed to quickly undress himself. You shakily sat up, unclipping your bra at your back and tossing it aside. 

Joel was impressive, his body rippled with muscles beneath a layer of fat that told you he was eating well. Your gaze dragged down him, mouth watering as you finally saw his cock. It was big, the same tanned tone of his skin with a flushed tip. It jutted from a patch of trimmed, dark hair that was accentuated by the happy trail beneath his navel. You swallowed thickly, pussy clenching at the thought of him fucking you into the mattress.

You kissed him eagerly as he got back on the bed, part of you so desperate to please him. Joel was older than you, so much more experienced, you just wanted him to like you. 

He grunted, curling a hand around the back of your neck to keep you close. His other hand traveled down your body, massaging your hip with his thumb. You were putty in his hands, your own arms in a loop around his neck.

“Lay down,” Joel mumbled against the hinge of your jaw, nipping at the bone. You whimpered, fingers digging into the broad muscle of his shoulders as you complied. Joel ran a hand over you, sliding it down the valley between your breasts and over your soft stomach. 

The backs of your thighs were pressed against his quads as he took himself in his hand, sliding the blunt head of his cock along your pussy. You clenched around nothing, desperate and wanting. “Joel, please.” 

You couldn’t take waiting anymore.

He smirked, notching himself at your entrance and obliging you. Joel pressed and pressed and pressed until his hips were completely snug against yours. He split you in half across the width of his cock, moving slow to give you some time to adjust. It felt like he’d consumed all of the extra space in your body, you even felt him in your throat. 

You breathed brokenly, back arched and hips twitching as you struggled to find a comfortable position. You weren’t a virgin–weren’t anything close to it, really–but it felt just as overwhelming as your first time.

Joel bent over you, his elbows on either side of your head carrying his weight as he ground his hips against yours. His forehead pressed into your shoulder, a heated groan rumbling from his chest. It was hard to make sense of things, rattled breaths filling your chest as your mind whirred uselessly. He peppered kisses over your face, his lips wet and warm as he showered you in affection.

Then he moved his hips, the roll of them slow and syrupy and making you nearly choke. You grabbed at his biceps, an attempt to anchor yourself to him as he started to rut his hips into yours. He made room for himself with every press of his cock, molding you to the shape of him.

Joel collected your leg with a rough hand, pushing your knee toward your chest. He let it come to rest in the curve of his elbow, palm pressed flat to the comforter as he spread you open wider. Your hips protested as he splayed you apart, the discomfort easily taking a backseat to your pleasure.

You keened, mouth falling open as he sank even deeper inside of you. Your breaths came out in little mewls, matching Joel’s grunts as you met each thrust with a weak roll of your hips. His lips were at your throat, sucking more marks into the skin and his facial hair scratching against you. “Goddamn, you’re gonna be the death of me, baby,” Joel groaned into the curve of your neck, still keeping an even rhythm

You let out a breathy laugh–you felt the same way about him. He lifted himself to get a better look at you, dark brown eyes as warm as the summer sun as his gaze drifted all the way down to where his cock was buried in you. He grunted at the sight, pupils dilating like drops of ink in water.

His free hand lifted off its elbow, his weight shifting to one side so he could wet the pad of his thumb with a lick of his tongue. You were making sounds you couldn’t control, each thrust pushing a small gasp from your throat. Then, Joel dropped his hand to your lower abdomen, gently tracing the curve of your belly down into the soft thatch of hair you hadn’t bothered to shave.

A calloused thumb found your clit, swirling over it with a confident pressure in a way that made your eyes nearly roll back in your skull. Joel was pounding into the spot that made you see stars, merciless in his pace. “Joel… oh god…”

You could feel the flutter of your orgasm starting, your legs trembled against his arm and the curve of his waist. You chanted his name like a prayer, overstimulated tears starting to squeeze out of the corners of your eyes and roll into your hairline. He just soldiered on, grinding his thumb over your clit as he worked you higher and higher toward the edge.

A rattling gasp escaped your throat as you pulsed around Joel, your brows pinching and your body stiffening beneath his. You could feel the release from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head, your nails digging into his thick biceps as the flickering pleasure turned into a full on forest fire. You leaned up to wrap your arms around his shoulders, pulling him down onto the mattress with you as you held him close.

“Fuck,” Joel moaned into your neck. His thrusts became sloppy fast, his discipline gone to the wayside now that he made you come on his cock. You felt him twitch inside you, his breath coming out in hot huffs against the curve of your shoulder. His hand grabbed your hip, pulling you down to match his frantic thrusts as he moaned your name into your skin.

You wanted to pull his head away from you so you could see how his face looked when he finished. The muscles in his abdomen clenched, his hips grinding tight to yours as he came inside of you. You moaned with him, the feeling of being filled up by him satiating a need you didn’t know you had as you dragged your blunt nails on his scalp.

Joel finally collapsed, the weight of his body pressing down on you as you combed your fingers through his hair. His hips were cradled by your legs, sweat slicking your skin wherever it was pressed together. You breathed against one another, pulling each other close as you basked in the afterglow.

You were sharing the same air, pressing loose kisses to each other's warm skin as you melted into each other for an unknown amount of time. It could have been seconds, it could have been hours.

“We should clean up,” you finally breathed, able to come back to yourself. 

Joel nodded against your neck, you felt it more than you saw it. You giggled after he didn’t move, still leaving you helpless and pinned beneath him. He seemed to make himself even more comfortable, arms constricting around you and face nuzzling closer to your throat.

“Joel,” you chastised, lightly shoving at his shoulder. It was half-hearted and meaningless–you were more than content to stay here all night if you had to.

“I like how you say that, Joel,” he said, mimicking your voice in an annoyingly high-pitched tone. It made you laugh, throwing your head back against the comforter as you shook it. 

He hissed, pulling away from you just enough to prop himself up on an elbow. “You clench around me like a fucking vise when you laugh like that, baby,” Joel muttered, swirling his fingertips over your skin. He didn’t move to pull out of you quite yet, the two of you relishing in the intimacy of your embrace.

A slow smirk crossed his face, his dark eyes flickering back up to meet yours. “Plus, what’s the point of cleaning up if I’m not done with you yet?”

–

Needless to say, you were sneaking out of his room when the dregs of sunlight started streaming through the hotel room windows, sore and exhausted, with his phone number typed into your phone and his hickeys all over your skin.

[wintermoth]

So I just saw The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and i gotta say, they did a damn good job.

But I'm not altogether happy with how much they changed the Games from how they played out in the book. I get needing to condense them for runtime and I get needing to change certain things like having cameras in the tunnels. The 10th Games were literally bursts of activity followed by hours upon hours of nothing because they couldn't see underground.

But it's the progression of events, the kill order & swapping of kills, and the omission of events which bothers me. Rest under the cut cos Long Post.

First of all: the Bloodbath. In the book, there is no Bloodbath. The kids literally grabbed supplies and hauled ASS to safety. You know. Like terrified children would. I personally think it was a mistake having the Bloodbath at all but I'm guessing some studio execs pulled rank on this one. >_>

Weaponizing the drones was something which...should've only worked once but whatever.

Coral getting properly fleshed out to be the main antagonist in the arena? Cool shit. They combined various aspects of other characters like Treech (7) and Teslee (3) into her. It gives us someone to root against and, narratively, I understand why they did it. She wasn't someone who'd trained her whole life like, say, Cato. She was just a kid who was doing what she thought she had to to get home. She was a bully, yeah, but not a villain.

Dill dying to the poison instead of her illness...um okay? This one I really don't get. IMO Lucy Gray seeing little Wovey die to the poison as she did in the books would've been much harder on her and the audience considering earlier events. Deadass, I think it was their way of dealing with the Reaper Problem - more on this in a minute Wovey's death was a cheap attempt at shock value and, surprise, no one was shocked. EVERYONE knew that container was bad news--audience, capitol, tributes--except perhaps Wovey herself. We'll blame the trauma.

And as for Lucy Gray herself, of her three book kills, one was removed entirely, and two were changed. The first being Dill instead of Wovey. The second being the way in which she killed Treerch. She was supposed to use a snake mutt as a weapon which she'd protected and hidden in her dress--which served as both a callback to her Reaping with the mayor's daughter.....and a premonition of what would eventually happen in the woods outside 12. And she was supposed to outwit/outmaneuver Reaper, which was removed entirely.

So, Reaper Ash. Big guy from District 11. The Thresh of these games. It's like they didn't know what to do with him. They dedicated his little screen time before the Games to making it clear he was 100% That Bitch and there were several lines (most from Lucky) indicating he was a strong contender. One of a handful of instances of Checkov's Gun, a rule of writing which states if you're going to call attention to a detail, it better fucking be important.

Allow me to summarize book events for those of you who don't know: The night before the Games, he apologizes to the surviving tributes for having to kill them and Jessup, who has rabies, spits in his eye. At the start of the Games, he was one of the few to run to get weapons at the start and was ready to fight, but everyone else was gone. So he heads out to hunt them down. Reaper was the only one proactively looking for a fight. Later, Reaper finds Dill down in the tunnels and carries her out into the open and lays her down in the sun because she's dying already and he's not going to kill her. He leaves her to her own devices and moves on. The next time we see him, he mercifully lets Lucy Gray flee from him. Afterwards, he strikes up an agreement with Lamina, the girl from 7, who's cleverly holed up high off the ground, and shows himself to pragmatic, fair, and good to his word.

Lamina warns him of oncoming tributes and he flees. When he eventually returns, he finds her and another murdered. Incensed, he begins assembling his morgue. During this, he uses part of a Capitol flag to make himself a cape, which makes him happy. The next day, he added Wovey to his morgue. When the Snakes are released into the arena, he is out of the line of fire, up in the stands, and survives.

By now, though, the rabies is really starting to affect him. He continues to obsessively add to and protect his morgue. On the last day, when Lucy Gray tries to add the third place tribute to it, he scares her off. But it's just them now and he doesn't even try to kill her. All he cares about is maintaining the morgue and keeping their bodies covered. He is eventually run ragged by Lucy Gray, who knows he's sick, and meets his end by drinking a poisoned puddle. He crawls to his morgue and dies. Lucy Gray wins.

In the movie, there's a Bloodbath and kids start killing each other, and he's right in there with them. We see him throw down ONLY to defend Dill. Then they just kinda....disappear. And they stay disappeared throughout everything which follows. None of his moments with the other tributes occur. When they emerge, Dill is significantly ahead of him--which tbh makes little sense since, as her protector, he reasonably should've gone out first to ensure it's safe--and dies by drinking poison. He is devastated and screams dramatically. He then begins to make his morgue and offend the capitol by disrespecting the flag before making a big dramatic speech to the cameras daring them to punish him. He apparently stays by his morgue for the rest of the day and when the snake mutts get dropped into the arena, he is keenly aware of the danger. He warns Wovey away, though she doesn't listen. He is almost immediately engulfed by the snakes. He holds still, sits up straight and tall, closes his eyes, then falls forward dead, followed swiftly by the remaining tributes except Lucy Gray.

So, that being said.

Book Reaper's story is a young man who expected to win and was prepared to do it, only for his degenerating mind to focus on protecting the dignity of the murdered children around him. His death was ignoble.

Movie Reaper's story is a young man who expected to win and was prepared to do it, but was also determined to protect his weak district partner with his life, and upon losing her, presents the Capitol both middle fingers. His death was ignoble.

I get why they cut the rabies plotline for the movie. It definitely saved time.....and it REALLY wouldn't look good if the filmmakers had both black guys die of rabies. Just saying. What bothers me about his movie story is just how unfulfilling it was. Going back to Checkov's Gun, he was supposed to be a Threat. And then he just. Wasn't. All for a over-dramatic and tbh unnecessary moment of glory.

so yeah that's my two cents.

anyway go see the movie.

[hollowtakami]

FOR THE GREATER GOOD

CONTENT: heavy angst, hurt w/ no comfort, implied ptsd/anxiety attack, corrupt hpsc, references to child abuse, power imbalance + implied beatings

WORD COUNT: 1130

AUTHOR NOTE: this is a very heavy (vent) fic - please do not read if you know this will trigger you (will be tagging this as nsfw on my masterlist bcs of its content). be safe, remember that you’re loved.

REBLOGS/COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED :)

Keigo hunched down onto the sofa, his skin finally remembering what its fabric felt like. Sinking into the plushness of the cushions, the avian sighed.

His eyes closed before he could stare at the ceiling. Instead, he’d stare at the abyss inside of him for hours.

He could hear his own breathing. Laboured, short. His chest felt heavy, the blood that circulated his body, nothing more than erroneous liquid.

His wings were made up of a few tattered secondaries and coverts, his primary feathers would need days to recover. His clothes stuck to him like a leech, the glue of his own sweat making his skin crawl.

A vibration in his trouser pocket brought him back to life. Keigo shot up, picking out his phone with a swift hand, his eyes strained by the painful white of the screen’s light.

The smartphone rang in his hand, shaking just like him. Keigo answered and felt himself sweating a little more.

“Hell-“

“Hawks. You’re needed for a last minute patrol.” A gruel voice barked out an order from the other end of the line.

“Madame President,” Keigo swallowed the spite stuck to his tongue, “With all due respect , you did just dismiss me, and I’m sure there are other heroes available to fill in for me!”

He did his best to spoil his voice with sunshine, but was met with nothing but silence.

His fluffy eyebrows furrowed at how loud the emptiness felt, not a single drone of white noise came from the other end.

“Madame-“

“You’re to report to my office immediately, Hawks,”

The call declined and the phone lay dead in his hand. Keigo’s fingers tightened around its frame, threatening to crack - whether the phone or his fingers would crack first, he wasn’t sure.

Tattered feathers sharpened in fear and Keigo’s face fell white. He had exhausted his body all day, fighting back whatever force the world threw at him. From the crack of dawn until the rest of the world fell asleep, he zipped around the city.

All for the greater good, he was always told.

And now, he was being told to report to his superior for - no doubt - a rather harsh scolding.

Peeling his clammy body from the sofa, Keigo made his way to his apartment’s door, leaving behind his jacket that he’d slung over a chair. His boots echoed footsteps and bounced them off the empty walls. Not looking back, not bothering to take in what he could of the only place he wasn’t watched.

They’d have cameras in here by the time he got back, anyway.

Walking down the street, Keigo was met with a black sky. Clouds hid away the beauty of the stars, the moon crying behind their mist. His feet slid across the pavement, too tired to put one in front of the other with the grace of a hero.

Keigo could fly and be there in a moment, but he’d sold his soul for a bit of cheap praise from people he knew couldn’t give a shit about him.

He’d reach the entrance of the HPSC eventually, the skyscraper sticking out of the gum of the ground like an ugly tooth. Greeting the receptionist telling her he’d been called for, he smiled with his teeth and trudged towards the nearest elevator and punched the button that would fly him up to Madame President’s office.

He stood still the whole ride, the eye of a camera burning into the back of his head - probably gawking at the laughable sight of his wings.

So much for the Winged Hero, Keigo thought.

Keigo went on autopilot as he sauntered through the empty floor of office cubicles until he reached the windowless room that was the sanctuary of his superior.

Bracing himself with a silent, short breath, Keigo rapped his knuckle on the door.

“Enter,” a low voice beckoned him forward.

Keigo pulled the door handle and slowly extended his arm inwards, met with the light of the office. The avian closed the door behind him and felt his wings shiver when he heard it auto-lock.

“Sit down, Hawks,” Madame President gestured to a lonely chair in front of her desk, smiling with hidden malice.

Keigo obeyed, lowering himself down and making sure he didn’t slouch.

“You asked for me?” He dared to speak.

“I don’t like attitude, Hawks,” Madame spoke, blunt as ever, “When a handler orders you to do something, you are expected to do it,”

Keigo felt his blood run cold at her words. She didn’t bother to blanket her intentions. He would be lectured, and then sanctioned. For the greater good.

“I understand, Madame,” Keigo squeaked, eyes down like a sheepish puppy.

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

Keigo pinned his eyes to hers and didn’t dare break eye contact for a second. For a moment, he was a child again; a huddle of skin and bones on the floor as his father kicked in his stomach for leaving the house.

“Yes, Madame,” his voice barely scratched its way up his throat.

“For your outlandish behaviour against a handler, I’m sure you’re aware you will need to be sanctioned,” Madame President repeated Keigo’s thoughts.

The avian nodded, the corners of his lips quivering into a meek smile. His feathers ruffled, his heart threatening to burst from his chest.

Keigo felt sick.

For the greater good, his mind barked at him.

The days of his ‘special program’ ran through his mind. That poor boy, he had no idea what kind of machine they were going to turn him into. They were gentle at first, using blanketed words to coax him forward to their goal.

They used to be gentle to that baby bird. When it was time to pick through his pin feathers, they only tore them out.

“Follow me to the rehabilitation hall, Hawks.”

“Yes, Madame President.”

His superior ushered Keigo to the room he remembered all too well, watching him with the eyes in the back of her head.

The walk was quick, Keigo blinked and he was already locked in with the same man he’d known from his boyhood.

“Hawks.” He spat at the avian.

Hawks didn’t say anything. Like a whimpering dog, he inched forward to the man, awaiting his sanction.

The first punch was always the worst.

But, it was for the greater good.

When it was all over, they’d half-ass bandaging him up and covering up his bruises with makeup.

For the greater good, a hero must always look his best.

A hero must always obey his handler, no matter what. That’s what they’d told Keigo Takami when he was a little boy, right before they’d tell him that everything from this point onward;

For the greater good.

[beautification-tales]

Rhoda vs. Stella

As Rhoda sat in front of her small television set, the news anchor's voice droned on and on about the heroic feats from the amazing Stella. She'd saved a bunch of people from a collapsing building, apparently. Rhoda couldn't help but let out a little sigh. "Another day, another news segment all about Stella," she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible even to her own ears. The room was dark and dank, the only light filtering in through the curtain-covered window, and the air smelled stale, like old socks and cheap perfume. It was the kind of place you'd expect to find a character in a particularly depressing Russian novel, not a twenty-seven-year-old woman like Rhoda.

She flipped through the channels, hoping to find something else to watch, anything else, but it was as if Stella had taken over the entire television network. Every channel was showing replays of her latest heroic exploits, interviews with people who had met her, or experts discussing her superpowers. Rhoda scowled, growing increasingly frustrated. "Come on," she grumbled, "there's got to be something else going on in the world besides that self-centered brat."

Just then, the news anchor switched to a live feed from the scene of the rescue. There was the Superheroine Stella herself, perched atop a pile of rubble, a group of grateful citizens crowding around her. Beside her, an attractive male witness was raving about how beautiful she was, how her every move was grace under pressure, how she'd saved his life and the lives of countless others. The camera lingered on her perfect features, her sculpted physique, her glowing skin. Rhoda gritted her teeth, feeling a familiar mix of anger and envy rise up inside her.

As the male witness continued to gush, Stella winked at him coyly before taking flight, soaring effortlessly into the sky, leaving the stunned crowd in her wake. Rhoda turned off the television, unable to stand another second of the nauseating spectacle. She rose from the dusty old couch, stretching her stiff limbs, and glanced around the room, taking in the clutter and the peeling paint. There was a time when she'd thought this was all she'd ever have, but now, hearing about Stella everyday just made her feel worse.

With a sigh, she headed down the narrow hallway to the bathroom, her movements listless and slow. As she reached the bathroom door, she paused, taking a deep breath and steeling herself. She hated the bathroom, with its small, dingy mirror and its drab, institutional colors. It made her feel even more invisible than she already did. But there was no avoiding it; she needed to wash her face.

Rhoda splashed her face with cold water, trying to wake herself up. She scrubbed her face vigorously, wishing she could scrub away the feelings of inadequacy and self-pity that seemed to cling to her like a second skin. Finally, she reached up and put on her glasses, taking a step back to survey herself in the mirror. Her short brown hair looked dull, her face framed by the round, wire-rimmed spectacles. She looked... ordinary.

Her thoughts drifted back to Tim, her cute coworker at the local coffee shop. They'd worked together for over a year now, and she'd been harboring a secret crush on him for almost as long. He was tall and handsome, with a killer smile and a witty sense of humor. He was always nice to her, but she suspected he didn't see her as anything more than a friend. It didn't help that every time she'd tried to make a move, she'd chickened out at the last minute, leaving her feeling even more pathetic than usual.

"You're just jealous," she muttered to herself, trying to convince herself it was true. Maybe she could learn to be more like Stella, to be more confident, more outgoing. Maybe then Tim would notice her. But then again, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. After all, Stella was a superhero, not a real person. It was one thing to admire her from afar, but trying to emulate her was setting herself up for disappointment.

She sighed, running her hands through her damp hair. There had to be another way. Maybe if she could find some kind of outlet for her own unique talents, something that made her feel special. Something that didn't involve trying to be someone she wasn't. She glanced back at the mirror, hoping for some sort of inspiration, some glimmer of an idea. But all she saw was her own reflection, looking back at her with tired, resigned eyes.

And then, suddenly, there she was. Stella. Not the news anchor, not the image on the television screen, but the real Stella, standing beside her in the mirror. Her perfect features were marred by a frown, and there was a curious expression in her eyes. "Why are you so jealous of me?" she asked softly.

Rhoda started, then turned to face Stella. "I'm not jealous," she said defensively. "I just wish people would see me for who I am, not just some stupid superhero."

Stella raised an eyebrow. "And who do you think you are?" she asked, her voice soft but steady. "You're just a shy quiet invisible girl. You can’t possibly compete with me. And maybe people would notice you if you weren’t so pathetic."

Rhoda felt a sting of hurt at Stella's words, but she knew there was some truth to them. She took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice. "I know I'm not perfect," she said, "but I have my own strengths. I can be kind, and caring, and I'm good at my job. I just wish people would see that."

Stella studied her for a moment before speaking. "You know what they say about nice girls?" she asked quietly. "They finish last. You have to stand up for yourself, Rhoda. You can't keep playing the victim, waiting for someone to notice you. You saw the news! Everyone is talking about me…about us!”

Rhoda felt a spark of anger ignite in her chest. "Us?" she asked incredulously. "You mean me and you? I'm not like you, Stella. I don't have powers. I don’t wear a white leotard.I'm just an ordinary girl trying to make her way through life."

Stella stepped closer, her expression softening. "But you do have a power, Rhoda. You have the power to make a difference. You have the power to choose how you want to use your gifts. You could be me, using your abilities to help people. Or you could keep hiding behind your glasses and your shyness, content to be invisible."

Rhoda felt her resolve wavering. She knew that Stella was right, that she did have a choice. But it was so much easier to just go along with things, to be the quiet one in the background. "I don't know if I could ever be like you," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "I mean, did you see how you flirted with that guy on the news?”

Stella smiled, a small, wistful expression. "Yes, I did," she replied. "And I enjoyed it. I like having the power to make men swoon.” Stella flexed her right arm bicep triumphantly. “You’re such a prude Rhoda. Did you see how tall he was? Did you see how… big he was?”

Rhoda felt her cheeks flush crimson, but she didn't back down. "Well, I'm not interested in using my abilities like that," she said, her voice steady. "I want to use them for something more important."

Stella raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" she asked, her tone challenging. "You think you can change the world, Rhoda? You're just one person. And even if you could, so what? You'd still be stuck in this life, living in the shadow of someone like me. Stop fighting what you are! What you’re meant to be just let me out. Let me play!”

Rhoda felt a surge of determination rise within her. "I can make a difference," she insisted, her voice firm. "I don't have to be like you to matter. I can be plain old me to help people without showboating." She paused, meeting Stella's gaze unflinchingly. "And I won't let you control me anymore. I'm going to be who I want to be."

With renewed confidence, Rhoda turned and strode back into the living room. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, and began to pace around the room. Her thoughts raced as she tried to formulate a plan. She knew that she couldn't continue to live in Stella's shadow, but she also didn't want to give in to her dark desires that Stella represented.

She stopped in front of the TV, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched the news. Another building was ablaze, and she could feel Stella's energy coursing through her veins, begging to be let loose. The reporter spoke of the destruction and the chaos, but Rhoda couldn't help but focus on the people.

Rhoda could hear Stella within her screaming for release. Rhoda felt as if she had no choice as she took the gold ring off her necklace and placed it on her ring finger.

The change was instantaneous. Her body began to stretch and contort, her bones popping and cracking as her muscles grew and her skin stretched. Her height increased as her spine lengthened, her hands and feet elongated to fit her new larger frame. Her hair turned long and blond and her eyes glowed with an ethereal light. The large sweater and sweatpants disappeared as a white leotard and white gloves appeared on her body. The old sneakers replaced with white matching boots as her impressive legs and arms were bare.

Stella's arrogant grin spread across Rhoda's face as she stepped out from behind the couch. She flexed her bicep enjoying the show, her muscles rippling with power. Her voice was deep and confident as she spoke, "Oh, don't worry, Rhoda. I'll take it from here."

She walked gracefully towards the burning building, her long strides effortlessly carrying her across the distance. People gasped in awe as they beheld her stunning beauty and unearthly strength. Stella reached the building and without hesitation, ripped the burning doors off their hinges. The flames licked at her skin, but she seemed unbothered.

With her enhanced senses, she could see inside the building, feel the heat and sense the panic of the trapped people. She moved through the smoke like a ghost, rescuing one person after another with ease. Her gloved hands were gentle yet firm as she helped the terrified occupants out of the inferno. The firefighters, impressed by her abilities, watched in silence as she worked.

The fire grew more intense as she continued her rescue efforts, but she seemed unbothered. She could feel the flames licking at her skin, but they did not harm her. She was in control. She was unstoppable. She was Stella.

“That is everyone in the building chief!” Stella proclaimed as she flashed her gorgeous smile.

The firefighters rushed forward to help her tend to the last of the survivors, their expressions a mix of awe and respect. They had never seen anything like it. A woman, a mere mortal, who had single-handedly saved everyone in that building without even breaking a sweat.

As they worked together, the crowd around them began to swell. News crews rushed to the scene, their cameras capturing every moment of Stella's heroics. She was a goddess among mortals, a beacon of hope in the midst of chaos.

The reporter from earlier pushed his way through the throng, microphone in hand. "Stella!" he exclaimed, his voice full of awe. "Is it true? Were these attacks on the buildings meant to draw you out?"

Stella's eyes narrowed, her expression growing cold. "I cannot speak for those who would commit such heinous acts," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "All I know is that when I heard the cries for help, I could not turn a blind eye. I had to do something." She turned back to the firefighters, her expression softening. "You all have my gratitude for your bravery and your service."

Stella walked away as she levitated off the ground about to fly home. Stella hovered in the clouds as she refused to give Rhoda control again. She was free and she wanted to have fun. “It’s time to show Rhoda that it’s more fun being me.”

She flew to the coffee shop where Tim was closing up. She slowly landed giving Tim an amazing view of her body.

"Oh my god, is that Stella? She's here?" Tim asked one of his coworkers.

"Yeah, it's her," the coworker replied, eyes wide with surprise and admiration. "So you think she wants coffee? ."

Stella looked at Tim with a playful grin, "Why yes, I wanted a cup but it looks like you’re just closing." She glided over to Tim, her movements graceful and fluid.

"Oh, uh, hi Stella," Tim stammered, his heart racing. "I mean, we're not really supposed to have anyone in here after hours, but I could, I mean, make you a cup really quick if you'd like."

Stella smiled at his nervousness, her emerald eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, that's so sweet of you, Tim. But don't worry about it. You've got to close up, right?" She glanced over her shoulder at the coworker, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes.

“You… you know my name?” Tim asked in shock, feeling even more flustered.

Stella laughed, the sound melodic and pleasant. "Of course I do, silly. You still have your nameplate on.” Stella was relieved at how quickly she covered for herself.

Tim turned a shade of red that was almost as vibrant as Stella's hair. "Oh... uh... right. Well, you know, if you change your mind..." he trailed off, not quite sure how to continue.

Stella gently grabbed Tim’s shirt as she lowered his head slightly into a kiss. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest as she pushed her powerful frame into his body. She could feel Tim melting into her as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. Stella felt his stiffness in his crotch as she slowly broke off the embrace.

"That's for being such a cutie," she whispered huskily, running her fingers through his hair.

Stella took a step back, giving Tim a moment to catch his breath. "I'm serious, Tim. If you ever need anything, just call me, okay?" She leaned in close, their noses almost touching. "And if you ever want another kiss like that... just find me. I'll be waiting."

With one final wink, Stella lifted off the ground, her arms spreading wide as she glided gracefully out of the street and into the night. The coworker stared after her, his mouth hanging open.

Back in the apartment, Stella floated to the bathroom mirror. She stared at her reflection, admiring the yellow fire in her eyes. She had never felt so alive, so free. It was as if she had shed a layer of skin, revealing the confident, powerful woman she was meant to be.

"Hello, Stella," Rhoda's voice said softly, her tone devoid of any of the condescension it once held. "You had your fun, now give me my body back."

Stella turned around slowly, her eyes narrowing as she studied her former self. "And why would I do that?" she purred, her voice a sultry purr. "I'm having too much fun being me." She lifted her chin defiantly, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Rhoda's eyes widened in surprise. She had never expected Stella to react like this. "But you don't understand, Stella. I need my body back. I have things I need to do, people who depend on me."

Stella's yellow eyes glinted with mischief. "Oh really? And what about me, Rhoda? Don't I deserve to enjoy being in this body for a little while longer? After all, it's not like you were using it to its full potential." She stepped closer, invading Rhoda's personal space. "I can promise you, Rhoda. If you let me keep being you... well, you might just find that you like it."

With that, Stella slipped her hands under her top, cupping her breasts in her hands. She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of them, the softness against her palms. She gently massaged her nipples, watching with satisfaction as they hardened under her touch. Then, slowly, she lowered her hand to feel her warm wet slit.

Rhoda watched, shocked and aroused, as Stella began to explore her own body. She felt a wave of desire course through her, an urgency that she hadn't experienced in years. She had forgotten what it was like to feel so alive, so present in her own skin.

As Stella's fingers found their way to her clit, Rhoda gasped, arching her back involuntarily. The sensation was almost too much to bear. She felt herself growing wetter, hotter, more and more eager for release. "Oh god, Stella," she breathed, her voice shaking. "What are you doing?”

Stella looked up at her, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She gave her a sultry wink. "I'm enjoying myself." And with that, she circled her finger around her clit, harder and faster, until they were moaning in unison.

“Just give in Rhoda. Let me finally be your true self. I can give you everything you want. Tim practically came in his pants just from kissing us.” Rhoda gasped at the thought. “No more being invisible, no more boring routine. Please Rhoda … fuck it feels so good.”

Stella's words reverberated in Rhoda's mind as she felt Stella's fingers expertly tease her body. She had never experienced such pleasure, such raw desire. It was as if a dam had been broken, releasing a torrent of emotion and lust that she hadn't known was there. She wanted this, she needed this.

Rhoda moaned in ecstasy as she screamed in unison with her superhuman side “I am Stella!”

[mariacallous]

More than two-thirds of the Russian tanks that Ukraine’s military has destroyed in recent months have been taken out using first-person-view (FPV) drones, a NATO official told Foreign Policy, an increasing sign of Kyiv’s reliance on the unpiloted aircraft as it awaits more artillery ammunition from the United States and other Western countries. 

With much-needed funding and artillery rounds held up in Washington, the Ukrainian military has largely turned to FPV drones to carry out anti-tank attacks. Ukrainian troops operate the drones via a controller and are able to watch the machines’ “suicide” attacks on Russian vehicles through video feeds, which now play on a loop on Ukrainian social media channels on Telegram and other platforms.

In the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, FPV drones have become nearly ubiquitous on the Ukrainian battlefield. Many of them can carry 10 pounds of explosives or more, and after nearly 780 days of nonstop war, drone pilots on both sides have gotten plenty of practice. 

“I used to shoot such ‘cinematic’ videos with the help of FPV-drones before the war,” Ukrainian documentary filmmaker Anton Ptushkin posted on X (formerly Twitter) last November. “Now we use FPV to defend our land.” 

But for every success, there are nearly as many blooper reel-worthy incidents. These aren’t the $20 million-a-piece Predator drones that the United States uses to hunt terrorist targets in the Middle East. These are inexpensive off-the-shelf drones that go for $400. They have cheap cameras, making them more difficult to aim at night or in cloudy weather, and they often carry improvised munitions such as grenades or homebuilt bombs, which sometimes detonate midflight. Some are duds. In one video shared on Telegram, a Ukrainian FPV drone gets stuck in the front window of a Russian minivan and doesn’t explode. Others hit Russian quadcopters and tanks that have already been abandoned. “What we’re seeing probably is a fraction of what’s actually happening,” said Samuel Bendett, an advisor at CNA and a member of the think tank’s Russia studies program. “FPV drones have a short range. So even if the Ukrainians lack enough long-range artillery, they can only use a few drones up to 10 kilometers [about 6 miles] because that’s the normal range.”

Analysts tracking the Ukrainian military believe the attacks are having mixed results. Rob Lee, a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia program who last traveled to Ukraine to embed last November, said the overall accuracy of FPV drones is less than 50 percent. It’s an experienced pilot who is going to score a “kill” of a tank—and the soldiers inside—with an FPV drone, not a newbie.

Even those drones that get through Russia’s increasingly sophisticated, if unchic, countermeasures—boxes of signals equipment strapped to tanks—might not deal a fatal blow. “You usually don’t kill a tank the first few times,” Lee said. “It can take 10 or more [FPV drones] to kill a tank.” 

Still, Russia has a good reason to cover up its tanks with camouflage and jamming equipment, Lee said. It is running low on armored vehicles and tanks. If Ukraine keeps attriting at this rate and Russia keeps sending in more tanks to replace the destroyed ones at the rate it has been, the Kremlin could lose its numerical edge in tanks, which could make it more difficult for the Russians to carry out offensive operations in the future. 

But Russia still has more troops. “The issue is that Russia’s getting a lot of manpower,” Lee added.

The all-out use of cheap drones indicates that the Ukrainians are turning to increasingly desperate measures to improvise weapons to fight back the Russian assault, which has moved farther west into the contested areas of Donetsk. Ukraine is using a network of microphones—similar to the one you might find on your iPhone—to sense incoming targets. The microphones are good enough to classify what type of munition is coming in, what direction it’s going, and what trajectory it’s on just by using acoustics. 

And with limited air defense munitions, Ukrainian troops have rigged heavy machines with sensors to shoot down most of the Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones that are overflying their positions. The NATO official, speaking anonymously based on conditions set by the alliance, said Ukraine’s hit rate against Shahed drones with simple machine guns and small caliber weapons is about 80 percent. It’s not a complete fix, though: Ukrainian officials have spent recent days urging the United States to send more Patriot air defense systems. 

And the FPV drones are not a match for artillery ammunition when it comes to keeping up a high rate of fire or for creating explosive effects. They can also be more expensive. “You cannot replace a 155 [mm] shell,” one Ukrainian official said. “It’s like replacing a Kalashnikov with a small gun.” And artillery is immune to electronic warfare. It’s just a bombshell that’s flying through the air. 

The rapid pace of innovation for drones has made U.S. military leaders second-guess big, expensive drone programs. The future, officials think, will be cheap and attritable. 

“I don’t think we could buy a drone and say it’s going to be in our formation for the next 20 years,” U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said. “We can’t do that.”

It’s not clear how effective they will be in the long term. But like improvised explosive devices in the Iraq War, cheap drones have revolutionized the battlefield—for now.

“It’s possible that any vehicle, any system, any soldier that moves on the Ukrainian battlefield right now can be seen, observed, and ultimately hit with a [unmanned aerial vehicle],” said Bendett, the CNA advisor. “There’s no such thing as just moving around uncontested anymore.”

[hutheman2252]

Part 1 untitled

“When the sky comes crashing down there will be two perspectives to view it from. Either behind a camera lens, or a gun reticle. That's what he told me that day before it happened.”

Ch.1: Sunday Service

2006 AL / The city of Nelo / The Republic of Ferdiland / The Svar gulf

A young man was awoken by the stopping of the bus, Its hydraulics squealing as it halted. Before he was able to make his leave a two soldiers stepped on accompanied by a tall standing man in a similar uniform. Assumably their commanding officer. Before the young man could so much as speak, the commander’s projected booming voice bellowed in front of him.

“You lad you’re the photographer are you? The one we hired for the press articles right?. “What was your name again? Jared? Greg?”

The Major continued on and on awaiting interjection

“Gareth, sir”

The Major looked pleased by his respect and humility.

“Pleasure to meet you, I’m Major Thomas Davids of the 41st fighter squadron. I’ll be the one to accompany you today”

He signaled Gareth to stand and follow so as to exit the bus. Immediately after stepping off the Major stretched his back. Although not being the one sitting for hours he acted as though he needed the Fresh air and movement.

Gareth followed close behind Major Davis as he gave a basic rundown of the place and its functions walking past sheds and hangers alike. 

“We’re much much smaller than your average base. You know there’s only about five aircraft actively operating from us down here. But that adds to the charm I suppose. Plus we are not audited as frequently and it's less of a strike risk so there’s benefits. Of course we’re no different in terms of basic structure as you may or may not know.”

The major seemed to be droning on and on about the inner workings and as though he could read Gareth’s bored mind he spoke with a lot more vigor.

“Lad what do you think of the architecture”

Gareth looked around before responding.

“The architecture sir?”

The major looked at him as though Gareth had asked him which direction the ground was.

“It's not everyday you see an air base let alone one connected to a cathedral is it? It's somewhat our claim to fame among the press… for what little press we get at least”

Gareth looked at the cathedral feeling dwarfed by the up reaching spires.

“It’s alright. It's a bit strange  though, isn't it?”

The major stopped in his tracks turning around

“Well the land was secularized a while back when they moved the cathedral to the center of town. Everyone equally close to God and all that. So they didn't really need one out on the edges of the town right in a wheat field stretching for miles upon miles now do they. Of course it just makes it cheap for us and gives us a good launch point to wherever we’re needed. Especially with the… Escalating tensions. It's actually quite funny the air raid sirens are just the church bells since they’re loud enough. So if shit were to hit the fan it’d sound quite a bit different to what you'd expect.”

As they continued on throughout the shadow cast by the cathedral loomed over. Marching through path by path. The young man Gareth took note of the different aircraft pacing along the taxiway and fields. One in particular had caught his eye though, a beautiful British racing green aircraft decorated with bone white chevrons repeating upon its back climbing along like a spine pointed towards the cockpit's single seat. Stamped onto the side turbine intake were the words. “But how could you live and have no story to tell?” Causing the major to lean down talking in a much more hushed voice.

“That one caught your eye, has it? I understand why, beautiful airframe that one is.”

Gareth leaned in matching the same tone and volume.

“What’s its name, Sir?”

The major rested his hand on the young man’s shoulder before beaming with a smile.

“The Mikoyan MiG-29. Piloted and personalized by the 41st squadron’s very own: Kylah ”

“Kylah?”

Inquired Gareth “You deaf lad? Yes, Kylah would you like to go meet her?”

Answered Major Davids.

Gareth perked up at the idea. Knowing full well the more unique of an article he captured, The further he would excel on this assignment. Seeing it fit to go with he trotted alongside Major Davids knowing full well this was a rare opportunity, Even for an airbase. 

“Is this airbase more um… religiously inclined so to speak. Than other ones I mean. In contrast”

Gareth asked as they were strolling across the packed dirt of the runway. Despite the ill advisability of their actions.

“Well while the base itself isn't more religious we have a couple few practicing members who. Despite the cathedral being secularized, Still use it for religious purposes. One of which in particular is quite a bright lad, a real go getter. He’s wonderful for morale, he helps the whole ecosystem of pilots, you know. Quite the wonderful boy. Was going to be a pastor before he enlisted.”

They continued to walk along. The distance seemed almost like a marathon at this point. The amount of droning done by the Major made it feel almost artificially stretched out. Once they had finally reached the hangar the pilot Kylah was still seated within the open cockpit asleep. Presumably resting for her next flight. Before long the major began banging on the body of the airframe.

“Oi!”

He banged on the plane three more times

“Oi!”

The major hit it another three

“Oi!”

He continued on until finally Kylah woke up blinking to lucidity. Looking down on the two boys with a squint attempting to make out their form before putting on a pair of glasses. Clear in lenses with gold aviator frames. 

“Oh good morning Major Davids! Its Eight in the Fucking morning who’s your friend and why are you two bothering me.”

Thomas laughed a little bit. Heartily from the top of his chest before finally meeting her gaze. Before he finally answered.

“The lad’s a photographer. Name’s Gareth, Fyodor caught his eye and he wanted to see if he could get some photos. I assume with you in it. He’ll ask some questions too. so play nice yeah?”

Kylah sighed before begrudgingly climbing out of the cockpit and down the ladder presumably to meet Gareth. However she walked straight past him to the hangar wall. Where she picked up two lawn chairs before extending them and pointing at the one she hadn’t sat in to indicate Gareth to take a seat.

Before the silence became any more heavy and suffocating Kylah finally spoke up, Mainly to prod towards his intentions.

“So what do you want to know about Fyodor?”

[dialogue-queered]

Article

Paul Cureton

Innovative design choices can have a massive impact in the theatre of war, so it is important to understand the principles behind their development. Recent use of low-cost cardboard drones by Ukraine, supplied by Australia, to attack targets in Russia is a good example of how this can work.

Australia has been supplying Ukraine with 100 of the drones per month from March this year as part of an aid package deal worth an estimated £15.7 million, following an agreement struck in July 2021, according to the Australian Army Defence Innovation Hub.

Emerging technologies tend to override current technologies, and in turn, this generates competitive counter-technologies. This circular relationship driven by innovation is often critical in warfare as it can provide key technological advances.

Drone technology was originally developed for military use. It was then seen to offer opportunities in the civilian sphere for logistics, delivery and disaster relief. This then in turn has offered new innovations that can translate to military applications.

Conflicts in the future will be particularly shaped by drones, which will have implications for international relations, security and defence.

The Australian firm Sypaq, an engineering and solutions company founded in 1992, created the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS) for use in military, law enforcement, border security and emergency services, as well as food security, asset inspection and search and rescue.

Ukrainian forces reportedly used the PDDS cardboard drones in an attack on an airfield in Kursk Oblast in western Russia on August 27. The attack damaged a Mig-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets, two Pantsir anti-aircraft missile launchers, gun systems, and an S-300 air surface-to-air missile defence system.

Design principles

The design principles behind the success of the drones revolve around several factors including the production cost, airframe material, weight, payload, range, deployment and ease of use. Other considerations include the reliability of the operating software and the ability to fly the drone in various weather conditions. Seven Network news report on SYPAQ’s cardboad drones.

Generally, small drones offer high-resolution imagery for reconnaissance in a rapidly changing theatre of war. The Corvo drone has a high-resolution camera that provides images covering a large area, transmitting footage back to its user in real time.

The importance of real-time mapping is critical in modern agile armed forces’ command and control as this can direct ground forces, heavy weapons and artillery.

In some cases, the design of small drones is concentrated on adapting the payloads to carry different types of munitions, as seen in the attack in Kursk.

The cardboard drones can carry 5kg of weight, have a wingspan of two metres and a range of 120km at a reported cost of US$3,500 (£2,750). Waxed cardboard is an ideal material as it offers weather resistance, flat-pack transportation (measuring 510mm by 760mm) and, importantly, a lightweight airframe, which enables a longer flight range and a high cruise speed of 60km/h.

Fixed-wing drones also offer longer ranges than rotor-based drones as the wings generate the lift and the airframe has less drag, so they are more energy efficient. They can also fly at higher altitudes. The drones can be launched from a simple catapult or by hand and so can be rapidly deployed.

Low-tech material, hi-tech thinking

Radar involves the transmission of electromagnetic waves, and these are reflected off any object back to a receiving antenna. Cardboard is generally harder to detect by radar – but its components, such as the battery, can be detected.

But the Corvo drone is likely to have a small signature. Radar-absorbing materials are needed to have full stealth properties. These polymers have various absorbing qualities to avoid radar detection.

Another design principle is the swarming capability of the drone. Swarms of drones can overpower air defence systems through sheer volume and or can be used as decoys in counterintelligence operations.

Swarms are highly reliant on the development of artificial intelligence, which is still an embryonic research area. But a recent drone race at ETH University in Zurich, in which AI-piloted drone beat drones controlled by world-champion drone racers, highlighted this potential.

All of these design principles and innovations have and are continuing to transform warfare and theatre operations. It is likely that small drones at low cost are likely to have further mission success in the future.

[someonestole15]

Still cannot click the "I am not a robot" things...

Signal.

Still autumn, the forest around the drone hub has started to gain its orange coat as winter comes knocking, the forecast reads snow within the next two months. Cold wind blowing, the insulation within the walls keeps most of it out. Quiet after the convoy escort job, an article caught my eye as I was looking into things related to Severin.

Local company invests in water purification effort

Echelon, a prominent corporation in many fields, has recently announced that they are reinforcing their ability to provide purified water and hydrogen to various clients. With the installation of two new separator boilers, the company expects that the cost of clean water will drop with the supply increasing.

“We believe water is a right, not a thing to be monetized...” Severin, leader of the Echelon Company stated in an interview with our correspondent

The initiative comes at a time of growing concern over the recent attacks targeting the water purification facilities. Colony Security Units have confirmed they are investigating the matter but have declined to comment on the progress.

Next up: Shipments to Novis speeding up, a new player enters the game. We have an inside look...

Right, enough of that, Separator boilers then, they are quite capable pieces of machinery and not cheap either. Another tab open, I started looking into the water purifier attacks in the area. Public information remains limited, and the Empire databases are under lock and key. Federation data would likely have something, but my access was severed a few weeks ago. Leaning back in the office chair, I looked around the control room.

Fresh coat of paint and almost a kilometer of cables hidden in various ways, it was certainly a project setting all of this up, still needs a bit of work to be 100% but usable for the time being. Three high power CPUs and GPUs, the various screens mounted around and above me, I tapped my fingers against the armrests and moved things around my HUD and the screens. Said it before, the web has been spun and is spreading as I wait, messages and alerts set up for anything mentioning Androids or Phoenix.

Best defense is a good offence, but being prepared for attacks from any angle is even better, Valkyrie has been drawing up defenses in the forests, the few trail cameras and motion detectors work in tandem.  Wildlife wanders around our region, but knowing what is out there gives some peace of mind, the landmines are harder to come by...

Faint rain against the window, I heard a sharp beep and saw a message popup on the terminal screen, I circled my chair back to the PC and opened the message on my HUD.

Unknown sender, the title a single word. Tip.

“Heard you were part of that convoy... Your chassis has seen better days. I have a thorn in my side that has an android chassis just waiting to be nicked. Yours if you take it, torch their servers on the way out and we’re even, no strings.” Signed: Grin.

Attached image, seemingly taken in a hurry, of the chassis in question, a blank canvas inside its supporting frame for delivery, the status panel containing both the serial number and a reading of the internals almost impossible to read with the blur. Missing all of its plastic covers, the face resembles a bare skull with the two dark lenses of the cameras staring into the distance. Software comes separate; I moved the image onto the terminal and analyzed it. String of numbers hidden inside the metadata, a pop up appeared shortly after, requesting a key to decrypt the data. Seven spaces, I looked down at the keyboard for a moment before the thought hit me.

If this Grin knows who I am...

>>Input key: Phoenix >>Enter >>Key accepted. Decrypting information.

Jackpot.

[nk-studio-patna]

Who Are the Top Pre-Wedding Photographers in Patna, Bihar?

Pre wedding photoshoot or engagement photoshoot is one of the most memorable photographic experiences couples can ever go through as it encapsulates their story. Every bride-to-be-dreaming about her wedding happening in Patna, Bihar always focuses on choosing a perfect pre- Wedding photographer. However, in this article, we will look at some of the best Pre-Wedding Photographers in Patna, such as NK Studio, and how they take their passion and professionalism in photography. Let’s dive in!

What Makes a Pre-Wedding Photographer Exceptional?

Well, let’s have a look at a list of the most popular photographers, but first, what makes good pre-wedding photographers different from others? Here are some qualities to look for:

Creativity: Organisations can utterly create works of beauty from zones that are seemingly mundane.

Experience: Years of experience guarantee the high quality of services.

Attention to Detail:  It means that even though it is about lighting people’s faces, it does embrace each and every detail of it.

State-of-the-Art Equipment: The results in the final products are enhanced greatly by high quality cameras and video editing equipment.

Customization: Whatever your story, they get it — and build tailored themes.

Top Pre-Wedding Photographers in Patna

1. NK Studio

Simply, it goes without saying that, NK Studio is one of the finest options for pre-wedding photography in Patna. Having many years of experience in taking photographs, they only share true love stories in their photographs.

Key Highlights:

Specialization on candid and cinematic techniques.

Exploratory two ways in and around Patna.

A professional team that uses modern equipment in the field of photography.

Why Choose NK Studio?

They provides a customized pre-wedding services according to your desired package.

Their creativity department makes a point of making every shot count.

2. Wedding Tales Studio

Pre-wedding photography has been given a unique artistic twist by Wedding Tales Studio. They do not just design dreamy visuals that’ll look perfect on Instagram.

Key Highlights:

Popular for the particularly bright and colorful pictures.

The other one is the ability to photograph in outdoors and natural light conditions.

Cheap packages but will not sacrifice the quality of their service.

3. Dreamy Pixels Photography

Dreamy Pixels Photography is another favorite we have in Patna for wedding photography. They also love using cinematic story-telling which makes the couples favor their work.

Key Highlights:

Professional editing and photo retouching.

Knowledge in classic and topical categories of writing.

Specialized in exotic aerial cinematography using Drone cameras.

4. Click Creations

Importantly, Click Creations is one of the favorite companies offering unusual themes and inovative ideas. They extend their time, listen and come up with strategies that would bring the best out in your vision.

Key Highlights:

Nice selection of focus themes: retro and modern.

Specialist in making natural looking and carefree angles.

A number of professional employees who are concern with customer needs.

5. Eternal Lens

The name Eternal Lens has become extremely popular in pre-wedding photography in Patna. They time their photos with couples with the sole aim of capturing their natural and romantic moments.

Key Highlights:

Specialization in prewedding photography of demanded destinations.

Professional edit services for great results.

Complimentary yet highly technical staff.

NK Studio: Your Go-To Pre-Wedding Photographer in Patna

At NK Studio, we appreciate how much value you attach to your pre-wedding photoshoot. It can be strongly said that only professional and hardworking team with great number of creative ideas looks into your special days and turn them into masterpieces. With natural photojournalism and art filming we are making unforgettable story that will remember for the rest of lives.

Services Offered by NK Studio:

Pre-wedding photoshoots.

Wedding photography and videography.

Candid photography.

Destination shoots.

Post-production and editing services.

Why Patna is Perfect for Pre-Wedding Shoots

Patna, with its blend of historical landmarks and modern aesthetics, offers picturesque locations for pre-wedding photography:

Golghar: It’s a real architectural wonder.

Buddha Smriti Park: Ideal for couples who are close to nature.

Kumhrar Park: Perfect for nature-loving couples.

Patna Zoo: Beautiful natural environment for non staged shots.

Ganga Ghat: A scenic riverside location.

NK Studio understands how to properly and effectively use such places to get the best out of your photoshoot.

Address and Contact Details

If you’re ready to book your pre-wedding photoshoot or have any queries, feel free to reach out to us:

Address: NK Studio Building, Kankarbagh Main Road, opposite Gravity Mall, Patna, 800020

Phone: +91-9905655553

Email: mail2nkstudio@gmail.com

Website: nkstudio.in

Social Media:

Instagram: @nkstudio_in

Facebook: NK Studio Photographer

YouTube: @Weddingphotographerinpatna

X: NKStudioPatna

Pinterest: nkstudiopat

Conclusion

It is possible to define that selecting the proper pre-wedding photographer in Patna can make a big difference to your marriage experience. When it comes to making those unforgettable memories beautiful, you can trust with professionals like NK Studio and others. No matter if you like realistic, movie-like or classic photos these masters are ready to fulfill your every wish. Come book for your session today and join the fun as the wonders of magic takes its course!

[jcmarchi]

Keeping the cosmos clean

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/keeping-the-cosmos-clean/

Keeping the cosmos clean

Asked to describe his work for a lay audience, Allan Shtofenmakher responds with an unexpected question: “Have you ever seen the movie ‘Wall-E?’” Recalling that the 2008 Disney-Pixar movie’s view of Earth from space was “brown and dusty and just surrounded by tons and tons of space junk,” he cautions, “If we’re not good stewards of our local space environment, we could actually end up in a situation like that — where we can’t get anything into space because it’s so cluttered and dirty.”

Shtofenmakher, a PhD student, works in MIT’s Dynamics, Infrastructure Networks, and Mobility (DINaMo) research group under the guidance of Hamsa Balakrishnan, the William E. Leonhard Professor of aeronautics and astronautics (AeroAstro) and associate dean of MIT’s School of Engineering. “A lot of my work,” he continues, “is trying to keep space sustainable.” When satellites or spent rocket bodies crash into each other, they create space debris moving in different directions at very high speeds. “Then they’ll create even more junk that can crash into each other … and you end up with a completely unsustainable space environment.”

Shtofenmakher’s research interests reside at the intersection of space situational awareness and control of multi-agent systems, with a focus on tracking orbital debris using in-space satellite sensors. He is experimenting with techniques such as mixed-integer programming and multi-agent reinforcement learning to maximize our awareness of — and ability to avoid — rogue objects orbiting the Earth at speeds 10 times faster than a bullet. “My goal is to leverage the cameras on the thousands of active Earth-orbiting satellites to keep the space around Earth clean and sustainable for generations of space explorers to come,” he says.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California at Irvine, and a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University, Shtofenmakher worked as a spacecraft systems engineer on several small satellite programs. “I decided to return to graduate school to solve some of the challenges associated with distributed satellite networks,” he says, “and I chose MIT AeroAstro for its wealth of expertise in both satellite systems and multi-agent systems.”

“A lot of my work had been broader and more general in aerospace engineering, and I wanted to become good at something. That something was controls and optimization.”

A life-changing conversation

When Shtofenmakher was originally applying to PhD programs, he says, “I wanted to work with actual spacecraft and hardware … on what are called CubeSats, which are these really small, student-built satellites that can be sent into space for cheap to do something cool and novel.” He received a call from Balakrishnan, whose research had focused primarily on air traffic control and optimization but was now shifting into space research. Reviewing his graduate school application, she thought Shtofenmakher’s expertise would be helpful in her lab.

“What Hamsa specializes in (among other things) is multi-agent optimization,” he explains. “If you have a fleet of drones that are trying to simultaneously accomplish a bunch of different tasks, how do you distribute them in such a way that you minimize fuel across the fleet?”

It’s a different flavor of controls and optimization, he explains, than controlling individual CubeSats — but he is learning skills and using techniques that will enable him to work on applications on land (self-driving cars), in the air (autonomous drone networks), and in space (distributed satellite systems) when he completes his degree.   

Critical fellowship support

In his second year at MIT, Shtofenmakher was awarded an endowed fellowship in honor of the late Arthur Gelb ScD ’61, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former member of the MIT Corporation. “Getting the Art Gelb Fellowship,” he says, “meant that I suddenly had the flexibility to work on exactly what I wanted to work on.” Without the funding provided by the fellowship, he points out, he might have spent 20 hours a week working as a research assistant on an unrelated topic rather than dedicating his time to pursuing his own research interests.

Shtofenmakher regrets that he never met Gelb, who passed away in 2023, because he sensed that they shared some common history: Both were the children of immigrants who worked hard and valued education. Growing up in California, he says, “My parents both worked more than full time so that we could finally land on our feet. I modeled my work ethic after theirs so that I could get a good education, which is the number one thing that they wanted for me.”

Work and life

Still a hard worker, Shtofenmakher now also sees the value of work-life balance, serving as co-president of AeroAstro’s department Resources for Easing Friction and Stress (dREFS), through which he advocates for graduate student mental health and helps students establish healthy boundaries with their research advisors. With support from the department, he and classmates converted a storage area into the AeroAstro graduate student lounge, which now offers couches, a flat-screen TV to watch soccer and other events, and a place, he says, “where people can just chill.”

Also adding to Shtofenmakher’s quality of life at MIT are sailing and skateboarding along the Charles River and spending time with fellow students. “I know I can just message any one of them, and we can walk to the Banana Lounge, or go down to the ping-pong table in the basement, or just grab food or drinks after work.” He has also developed an interest in bar tending, which aligns well with science. Mixology, he laughs, “is the closest I can get to art with my double left brain.”

[demon-blood-youths]

Torahito didn't say anything. As long as there wasn't a fight or riot in the audience, he didn't care about the cheering and the comments right now.

"Cheap shot?" Iku can't help but laugh hearing this. "It's the rules. I mean...as long as there is no killing. It's fine. These guys shouldn't get angry."

"Brother..." Taz worried about Yuji. She can see the screen being moved due to the drones going over to the pond. One of them with Shukaku standing on one effortless, watching this.

----

"Looks like Itadori reaches the surface and is now swimming to a boat near him. Like any smart person would do, of course. Thank goodness, there were some row boats, Cycle boats, and of course, the Swan Boats remaining in the water!" Shukaku said.

"Because right now!" One of the drones turns its camera to see Hayato dive into the water and swim across to get to Yuji. "Hayato is on Itadori's tail!"

----

"Never thought I was right..." Kisho muttered.

The crowd was cheering again but they got quiet down remembering what happened before. Megumi was seeing Yuji falling back down but he winces seeing something else happened.

~~~~

Yuji was free falling before he got hit with another wind blast to be sent further. This made the others stand shouting for Yuji though they see him falling right into the lake of Ueno Park. A giant splash was heard right after.

"That's a cheep shot!" Nobara shouted angry but Megumi felt his hand close in a fist. Even if that might be, it's still not against the rules. From the lake, their was ripples in the water before another splash was heard seeing Yuji return to the surface coughing as he winces a little.

'You alright Brat?' Sukuna asked him.

"Ughhh..I'm fine, I'm fine..." he said now soaking wet but he sees he was in the water but tries to get to land swimming to a boat or something close.

[izi-cart]

IZI: Leading the Way in India's Thriving Drone Industry

In the rapidly evolving world of consumer electronics, IZI has established itself as a pioneer, particularly in India's consumer camera industry. Initially focused on camera drones, IZI has not only staked its ground but also broadened its horizons by offering a versatile product line that meets the dynamic needs of today's consumers. As one of the top drone manufacturers in India, IZI's journey is a testament to innovation, quality, and the constant pursuit of excellence.

IZI's new era of aerial photography Drones have changed the way we photograph the world around us. Camera-equipped drones have become invaluable tools for professional photography, entertainment, and industrial applications. IZI's offerings are at the forefront of this revolution, offering cutting-edge technology and superior performance.

IZI Sky Pro: The pinnacle of drone technology 

The IZI Sky Pro drone is a marvel of modern design, created for those who demand the ultimate in aerial photography and performance. With a 3-axis gimbal and brushless motor, Sky Pro ensures a stable and consistent shot even in difficult conditions. Its 4K True HDR transmission brings every detail to life, making it the best drone for photography enthusiasts and professionals.

With a top speed of up to 62 km/h and a 20-megapixel dual-pixel sensor, the Sky Pro is designed with speed and accuracy in mind. It offers live video transmission at a distance of 5 km, allowing users to explore vast landscapes without losing connection. The 32-minute flight time offers plenty of opportunities to capture stunning images, while features like true vertical photography and more than 10 drone modes offer versatility and creativity in every flight.

With Sky Pro, security and ease of use are paramount. A 540° obstacle avoidance system and precise hovering capabilities supported by GPS/GLONASS technology make flying easy. 4x digital zoom and a 130° wide-angle lens enable stunning panoramic views, making it the best drone camera on the market.

IZI Mini-X: Compact but Powerful 

For those looking for a more compact solution without compromising performance, the IZI Mini-X is the best camera drone available. Weighing only 249g, this ultra-lightweight nanodrone is perfect for beginners and experienced pilots alike. Despite its small size, the Mini-X is unbeatable with a 3-axis gimbal, brushless motor, and 4K True HDR transmission.

Mini-X has a maximum speed of 16 m/s and a 20-megapixel CMOS 1/3.06" sensor that ensures high-quality images and smooth flight. With a 4 km real-time video transmission distance and an impressive flight time of 93 minutes (2600 mAh battery x3), the Mini-X is designed for long adventures. True vertical shooting and over 10 drone modes add to its versatility, making it the best drone for photography.

Mini-X's 4x digital zoom and 130° wide-angle lens provide expansive views, while GPS/GLONASS ensures accurate hovering and navigation. Its compact size makes it easy to transport and deploy, making it a favorite among hobbyists and professionals looking for a good camera drone.

IZI Vision 

When it comes to drones in India, IZI stands out as one of the top drone manufacturers in India. IZI drones are equipped with the latest technology and built to the highest standards, ensuring reliability and performance. From the Sky Pro to the Mini-X, IZI drones are designed with the user in mind, offering easy-to-use features and intuitive controls. Whether you're looking for a high-quality photography drone or a compact mini-drone with a camera, IZI has something for every need and budget.

As a homegrown brand, IZI understands the unique demands of Indian consumers and offers products tailored to these needs. IZI offers a wide range of drones in various price ranges, ensuring that there is something for everyone. Whether you are looking for a cheap camera drone or the best drone camera in India, IZI has you covered. Transparent pricing and value for money make IZI drones a smart investment for anyone looking to explore the skies.

The Future of IZI Aerial Photography 

As the drone industry continues to grow, IZI is committed to staying at the forefront of development. By investing in research and development, IZI aims to bring more innovative products to the market and ensure that customers always have access to the latest and best technology.

Whether you are a professional photographer looking to capture stunning aerial images or a hobbyist looking for new adventures, IZI's range of drones offers the perfect solution. With a focus on quality, performance, and user satisfaction, IZI is not only a brand but also a trusted partner in your aerial photography journey.

Conclusion

IZI's commitment to excellence and innovation has made it a leader in the Indian drone industry. From the powerful Sky Pro to the versatile Mini-X, IZI offers the best camera drones available today. By choosing IZI, you're not just buying a drone; you are investing in cutting-edge technology that takes your aerial photography experience to new heights.

So if you're looking for a drone with state-of-the-art cameras, look no further than the IZI. Explore the range, compare drone camera prices, and buy drones online in India with confidence. Join the IZI family and discover the limitless possibilities of the sky.

[trolloled]

"╪he /\/\ili╪or. No╪ exac╪ly /\/\y /\/\os╪ groundbreaking projec╪."

=> You hold up a small robotic assembly, the same one you were working with in the park the other night. It was a small thing, only about as tall as your shin. It had a conical design with the base of it being round and its head coming to a point. The top of the cone was segmented, with a short, stubby barrel poking out from the top segment.

=> Along the bottom were multiple sets of wheels, and thin lines could be seen along its sides, indicative of panels hidden on its chassis. Its color was a drab green.

"Excep╪ for a few ╪hings."

"I figure, if I wan╪ ╪o ge╪ A/\/\prus ╪heir new body, I'll need ╪o co/\/\/\/\ercialize a li╪╪le bi╪. ╪he proble/\/\ wi╪h drones on long space fligh╪s is ╪ha╪ ╪hey need cons╪an╪ /\/\ain╪enance."

"Also, ╪hey ╪ake up huge a/\/\oun╪s of space."

"╪his, obviously, does no╪."

"╪he /\/\ili╪or is a basic co/\/\ba╪ robo╪, ar/\/\ed wi╪h a self-loading repea╪er sho╪gun. I╪s on-board /\/\anufac╪oru/\/\ can receive raw /\/\a╪erials fro/\/\ i╪s environ/\/\en╪ ╪o crea╪e new rounds."

=> You set the assembly on the ground, where it rattles around in a circle for a few moments before pointing towards a practice dummy set up nearby.

"╪igh╪ pa╪╪ern, ╪wo sho╪s."

=> The quiet of the night was shattered by two loud blasts that come from the robot. You were thankful you were wearing earplugs. The recoil of the blast looked like it should have knocked the unit backwards, but it remained steady on its wheels.

=> The same could not be said for the dummy, which was now the owner of two huge holes blasted clear through its midsection. A few pieces of hard-packed cloth fell away from it.

"I╪ is capable of li/\/\i╪ed self-repair. I╪s onboard genera╪or can, in e/\/\ergencies, provide i╪s own recharge via solar energy."

"Ideally, however, i╪ is lef╪ ╪o charge using an ex╪erior source. E/\/\ergency charging is very slow."

"Co/\/\pared ╪o a flee╪-capable /\/\ili╪ary drone, ╪his is exceedingly cheaper, if /\/\uch less powerful. A good choice for ╪raders or colonis╪s on a budge╪."

=> You poke the side of your head a single time for emphasis.

"Crucially, i╪ is incapable of being overridden by ou╪side sources. For securi╪y's sake, I can'╪ say how, bu╪ a ╪echnopa╪h is no╪ able ╪o fully ╪ake con╪rol of i╪."

"Only ╪he owner, regis╪ered a╪ ╪he ╪i/\/\e of deploy/\/\en╪, is capable of co/\/\/\/\anding i╪. If ╪he owner is incapaci╪a╪ed, ╪he uni╪ will assu/\/\e a defensive pos╪ure."

"I╪ is capable of reading basic aggression in o╪hers, and will no╪ a╪╪ack when /\/\edical ╪rea╪/\/\en╪ is provided."

"I╪s s/\/\all s╪a╪ure and cheapness of produc╪ion /\/\ake i╪ a decep╪ively powerful crea╪ion. /\/\any of ╪he/\/\ can be fielded si/\/\ul╪aneously, al╪hough regis╪ering /\/\ore ╪han five ╪o a single person is no╪ reco/\/\/\/\ended."

"╪hey are hard coded ╪o refuse regis╪ry ╪o so/\/\eone already regis╪ered ╪o seven o╪her drones."

=> You pause, clearing your throat one last time while looking at the camera.

"╪he /\/\ili╪or: When you need an ar/\/\y of one, on de/\/\and."

=> You manage to avoid grimacing as the red light of the recording device winks off.

"God, I ha╪e having ╪o do produc╪ pi╪ches."

[video-production-leeds]

An Interview with a Professional Drone Pilot

Discover the world of drone videography with Byron , our drone pilot and camera operator at Shot Blast Media. In this exclusive interview, Byron shares insights into drone technology evolution, memorable flight experiences, and the meticulous planning behind each shoot. From tackling challenges to prioritising safety, Byron offers a glimpse into capturing breathtaking aerial footage. Whether you’re an aspiring drone pilot or curious about aerial magic, join us as we soar into cinematic exploration with Byron. How did you get started as a drone pilot? I wanted to be a drone pilot after watching lots of films with drone videography in them! I researched how I could go about doing this, bought a drone, got my licence and now I’m a drone pilot! How has drone technology evolved since you started flying? I don’t think drone technology has evolved hugely since I started flying, however, I have developed more understanding of droning over the years. When I first started flying, I didn’t realise there were FPV drones (first person drones), that there were mini drones, that there were drones with 6 propellers on and loads more! I use a Mavic 2 Pro, so it’s a little bit more junior compared to the big drones you see on TV. For football matches they use a drone operator and camera operator, so I’ve developed my understanding of drones by witnessing this! What certifications or licences do you hold as a drone pilot? With drone flying, I hold a basic operator and flyer ID for the UK. This is open to anyone, and you can easily do it online. It’s very cheap, I think it’s about £11, and that’s the main licence you need in order to fly a drone. I also now hold an Irish licence, as in Ireland, you need a different flyer ID to the UK, which is very important information to know. I also hold an A2 COC certificate which means I can fly commercially and I can get restrictions lifted easily. It’s simple to give your certificate to whoever needs to see it so that they can see you have completed all your exams. It also means they will be a lot more flexible with you if you have this certificate, as well as the flyer ID. What is your most memorable drone flight experience? My most memorable drone flight experience is definitely a shoot I did in Wales recently, with our client ENGIE. We shot in a powerstation in Dinorwig from the outside. We had to go to all different sides of the mountain to film, and we had to change the schedule around a little bit due to the forecast rain the next day. This meant we had to go to Ffestiniog, which is about 45 minutes away, as we had to do all the drone work in one day due to the bad weather. Everything that day took a good 10 hours, including climbing up mountains and filming all the drone shots, but it was very enjoyable and I think the final work is beautiful. How do you approach planning a drone shoot for a new project? Well, planning is very important, because if something does go wrong with droning, it’s always good to refer back to the paperwork you originally did. I completed my drone course with UAVHUB, and they supplied a basic planning guide that is very simple to use. This planning guide has all your risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) in it so you’re ready to go! I have adjusted the planning guide quite a lot, and I’d be happy to send a link to anyone if you’re interested to see it, so feel free to get in touch. It basically has all the operation procedures on there, onsite surveys, presite surveys, and anything else you could possibly need for a drone flight. You just fill that out before the drone flying takes place, which takes about 20 minutes, print out the document and then you’re ready to fly! How do you handle unexpected challenges or obstacles during a shoot? There’s always a new challenge, but I will highlight one that happened to me recently. I went to Ireland to shoot a film for a company and I didn’t realise you needed a separate flyer ID to fly in Northern Ireland. So, my challenge at the airport was to quickly complete a flyer ID test for Ireland, which took a while to get approved. I had to get air traffic control approval as well during a short time frame as we were filming close to a flight path. It was a very complicated shoot. I would always look into everything you need to fly at least a couple of weeks beforehand. For me, it was challenging as this shoot came up very quickly, so it was hard to sort out in a short timeframe. Just remember, air traffic control is always there to help you, and that was the first time I reached out to them, but it all worked out well for us, fortunately. What safety measures do you prioritise during a drone flight? People are always prioritised. You can always get a new drone, a new building, a new whatever. Yes, it would be incredibly annoying, difficult and expensive, however people are the only thing you cannot replace. You can’t replace fingers! So, I always try to prioritise the safety of everyone on site. I always tell everyone around me that I’m flying a drone, and if anything was to go wrong, I would shout out ‘drone going down!’ Make sure you keep everyone safe, that they are at a comfortable distance away from the drone, and that they are happy with what is being filmed. How do you see the role of drones in videography evolving in the coming years? Drones are already doing a pretty big job in the film industry. Everytime I see them on TV, I always admire the drone work! You can get good quality cameras, like we use at Shot Blast Media, but a lot of people now can just film anything they want on their phone. However, not everyone can send a drone up to get a wonderful shot! It’s going to be one of those things in the future that stands out a lot more than your average phone/camera shot. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a professional drone pilot? Do it! That’s my main advice! Following on from this, I would always try to start off with a small drone. DGI mini’s are usually quite good for that, and they’re cheap too. It’s also better to start off with a small, light drone as using heavy drones means that you have to get even more licences and certifications. I’d always advise that you get the right help. Like I mentioned earlier, I use UAVHUB for all of my licences, and it’s a very simple way of doing it. Lastly, make sure you enjoy it! Take the drone out, shoot lots of fun stuff with it and always take lots of batteries as they run out very quickly! If you enjoyed this interview with Byron, our drone pilot and camera operator, make sure to check out some of our other blogs ! Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you with your drone videography needs: +44 (0)113 288 3245 | hello@shotblastmedia.co.uk Your Industrial Story Starts Here Press the button. Make the call. Transform your media. +44 (0)113 288 3245 hello@shotblastmedia.co.uk Contact Us

[digital-marketing-2341]

The Best Drones for Photos and Video

If you’re an aspiring aerial photographer or videographer, drones are your ticket to the sky.

They provide perspectives that you’d otherwise be able to re-create only with expensive equipment such as cranes or dollies, which is why these cheap, lightweight marvels have become a staple of many online creators’ gear lists.

But you can find dozens of different models—sometimes even from a single brand—with various costs and benefits to sift through. After test-flying 33 drones, we’ve concluded that the DJI Air 3 is the best because it combines a high-quality main camera, useful telephoto camera, and the latest autonomous technology in a light-enough and relatively affordable package.

The DJI Air 3 is easy to fly, has an ample 46-minute battery life, and is equipped with two cameras, giving you options for more varied and interesting shots than its predecessor. We recommend the Fly More combo option because it’s the only package that includes the DJI RC 2 controller, which features a built-in screen and is a marked improvement over the standard controller that relies on your phone’s screen for live view.

The Air 3 can sense and avoid obstacles approaching from all directions, adding side sensing that our previous pick lacked. These new sensing abilities make the ActiveTrack feature, which directs the drone to autonomously follow and film a subject while also avoiding obstacles, easier to use in more situations.

It can hold its position steadily, even in moderate winds, so you can focus on your cinematography. And the Air 3 can go with you almost anywhere. Measuring 8 by 3.5 by 3.25 inches folded and weighing roughly 1.5 pounds, it fits well in most standard size backpacks.

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro takes many of the best features of the Air 3 and, for a little more than twice the price, ups the camera count to three. Not only do you get a Hasselblad-branded 24mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a Four Thirds sensor, but there are also two telephoto lenses: a 70mm-equivalent with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and a 166mm-equivalent with a 1/2-inch sensor.

Thanks to the comparatively huge sensor on the main camera, the Mavic 3 Pro can capture more detail than our other picks and in a much wider band of lighting conditions. As a result, it produces better images right out of the camera but also gives editing software more data to work with to improve the images even further.

This model can capture vibrant, detailed still images with its three cameras, and its video—at up to 5.1K resolution—looks more color-accurate than that of the competition. It also has a 43-minute battery life, which isn’t the longest we’ve ever seen (our top pick beats it by a bit) in our tests but comes pretty close.

If you’re just getting into drone photography, especially for personal use, the DJI Mini 3 is a fantastic starter package. Though it costs less than half as much as our top pick, it still offers a 4K camera, a long (38-minute) battery life, and a compact, lightweight build that just slides under the FAA’s 250-gram limit.

The Mini 3’s camera and sensor aren’t as high-quality as those of the Air 3, but the f/1.7 aperture provides surprisingly good image quality in lower-light conditions.

This model also comes with all the important features you need from a video drone, such as image and flight stabilization, an included controller, and smart flight modes, in which the drone flies itself to easily capture cinematic shots. But it lacks the obstacle-avoidance sensors of more expensive models.

You have the option to extend the battery life to 51 minutes via DJI’s Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, but using that add-on makes the drone heavy enough that you have to register it with the FAA.

If you are avoiding the DJI brand due to security or human-rights concerns, or if you want a 6K camera, we recommend the Autel Robotics Evo Lite+.

This drone can fly for up to 40 minutes with autonomous options similar to those of DJI drones. And unlike the DJI Fly app, the Autel Sky app is available for direct download from the Google Play store.

However, we still prefer DJI drones for their value and image quality.