"Radon" or "Radium": a subscription tier that is lighter than Plutonium

Or, maybe it isn't a subscription. Maybe it's a one-time payment for a non-subscribed user that is cheaper than plutonium to change their discriminator?

Hmmm, while the end-result here is definitely something nice (being able to customise your discriminator for a lower cost than plutonium); I would say that I'm generally against multiplying offers because it can very easily introduce confusion (even with clear documentation or resources to help with the choice). Nitro basic and Nitro are one such example of confusing subscriptions in my opinion. As for a one-time payment, while — I think — a nice idea; I worry that the same problem could apply, as well as another. Right now, paying for plutonium (or having it gifted) gives you a temporary ability to change your discriminator, which will be re-generated randomly at the end of your subscription. If we introduce a one-time purchase of "discriminator change" it raises the question of: (1) How long does it last?

• If it lasts forever, then it theoretically lowers the value of plutonium since that particular feature is now overwritten by that one-time purchase you made
• If it's limited in time, it's not really a one-time purchase any more
• What if you want to change it later down the line? Do you buy the permanent ability to change it at will, or a one-time change that you would have to buy again every time you want to change it?

(2) How much does it cost?

• If it were a subscription, it would make sense to be cheaper than plutonium, as it offers very limited features in comparison. However, as a one-time purchase it becomes harder to gauge how much it is worth in comparison to plutonium.
  • Pricing it lower than plutonium, especially with plutonium's control over your discriminator being temporary; makes this particular feature of plutonium worth a lot less, unless you have the absolute certainty that you won't ever suspend your subscription it will probably be best to invest in that one-time purchase if you're even slightly interested in having control over your discriminator.
  • On the contrary, pricing it higher than plutonium could maybe make the customer feel like Fluxer Platform AB is trying to force their hands and buy a plutonium subscription

Overall, I would say that, while it is a nice idea to have more control over your discriminator (hence your fluxer identity) the execution might be a little tricky to pull off. At least I don't know what would a good solution be. On the other hand, an argument in favour is that, right now, the lack of consistency and control in your own discriminator makes it really annoying to outsource your Fluxer account. What I mean by that is my own example: I unfortunately don't have the financial means of sustaining a Fluxer subscription but, thanks to the generosity of other users, got to enjoy plutonium twice. Each time, I set my discriminator to the current 7777; but for a month only — meaning that everytime it changes, I have to edit everywhere I've put my Fluxer handle (contact forms, mails, websites, whatever). Some of which I don't have control over anymore (namely, mails). Which could be a real concern should people use Fluxer professionally down the line.

Problem is that user doesn't use voice chat or streaming or other infrastructure

i think this is a compelling argument why discriminators should not be gated behind plutonium at all. it's not something that costs anything to provide. so why charge for it? Root is another chat app like Fluxer and Discord. with their equivalent to Plutonium they make this promise:

purely cosmetic touches [...] are free today and always will be. We're never putting self-expression behind a paywall. [...] We charge for things that cost us real money to provide, like HD streaming, that deliver genuine value beyond decoration, [...].

i think that ultimately, if accommodating users who want a discriminator but no plutonium is desired, it should only ever be under this principle. the idea of having several different subscriptions or purchase options in the app feels inherently dangerous, because it easily leads to the perception that Fluxer is predatorily monitized. almost nothing can make that worth the risk. Signal usernames have a discriminator but they're not monetized at all. you have to pick some digits, and if they're available, they're yours to keep! --- one thing i always liked about discord was that its usernames were this freeform thing where your desired name was never "taken". the discriminator would just be different. i actually think allowing discriminator customization kinda goes against that? because if you can choose your discriminator, then your desired discriminator can be taken, so now your desired full username can be taken... so you're back at the problem that discriminators were invented to solve. why have discriminators at all if they're not arbitrary for everyone?