Lantern’s private alpha is 18+. General and Teen describe story intensity, not permission for minors to create alpha accounts.
Adults-only alpha
Lantern’s private alpha is for people age 18 and older. This is an access rule, not a claim that every story is explicit. The catalog can still include General and Teen-rated fiction, but alpha accounts and submissions are limited to adults while safety and age systems are being built.
General
Suitable for a broad audience. May include mild peril, non-graphic conflict, gentle romance, infrequent mild language, and themes that do not require significant warning. “General” does not mean written for children; the alpha remains 18+.
Teen
May include stronger language, sustained danger, non-graphic violence, grief, substance references, and romance or sexuality without explicit on-page detail. Authors should note potentially sensitive recurring themes.
Mature
May include graphic violence, horror, abuse, addiction, trauma, coercive dynamics, strong language, or sexual content between adults that is substantial but not primarily explicit. Clear content notes are required.
Explicit
Contains detailed on-page sexual content between adults, extreme violence or gore, or similarly intense material. Clear content notes are required. Explicit content is not automatically promoted in general discovery and may receive additional presentation or access controls as Lantern develops.
Content notes
Notes should name meaningful categories without forcing plot spoilers—for example: graphic violence, body horror, domestic abuse, sexual assault themes, coercion, pregnancy loss, suicide, addiction, racism, or explicit sex. Use the spoiler label when a more specific warning would reveal a major turn. Moderators may request a clearer rating or note before publication.
Romance, consent, and difficult themes
Stories may explore dark relationships, power imbalance, nontraditional relationship structures, and fictional harm. Authors must label significant coercion or non-consent themes. Sexual content involving minors, real exploitative material, and nonconsensual intimate imagery are prohibited regardless of rating.
Who chooses the rating
Authors choose an initial rating when submitting. Moderators verify that the label reasonably matches the material and may request changes. Ratings describe intensity; they are not a judgment of literary value, morality, genre, or whether moderators personally enjoy the story.