Of a rose. In a side. Plant protector. Pain injector

I dazzle my prey with displays and flashes of light, and I capture them best when they least expect it. I catch all manner of things, from stars to people, fauna to flora, living or dead or inanimate and still. My eye can take in the finiest details, provided I have the right light to see by, and with some careful preparations, I will simply soak in the sky.

If you drop me I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I?

In the realm of flavors, I whirl and twirl, uniting opposites into harmony. I'm the party's pulse, crafting chaos into rhythm.

You can already tell what a pot is if it calls me an adjective that could describe itself.