The house
Invitation. Combat. Obligation? None.
So what's going on in your life that brought you here?
Most people who find us aren't looking for us. Or at least, they don't know that's what they're doing.
Most people find us because they're in dire straits. Because they're troubled. Because they're angry. Because they've run out of options. Money's often the motivator, but sometimes there's something else that clicks in your head, something that makes you want to know what you can really push your body to do.
ICON isn't the kind of thing you broadcast to your family and friends.
Everyone's familiar with that one movie. Yeah. That one. We don't talk about it, and that's the last fucking time I'll remotely reference it.
We're not readily available information either. You find out because a friend of a friend of a friend happened to hear about something crazy going down in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere on some random Thursday night.
At first you forget about it. At first you don't think much of it beyond those guys are out of their minds, and you're probably right. So you let it go.
But one day you're sitting at the job you hate. Or you're coping with losing somebody. Or you finally admit to yourself how much anger you've got with nowhere to put it. And that thing you heard about from a friend of a friend of a friend starts sounding pretty fucking enticing.
Then you dig a little further and find out it pays. That's usually when it stops being a passing thought.
When you find us, we won't be too upfront about things at first. We don't know who the fuck you are, and I don't know that we can trust you. But if I see something in you, then we can open up some talks.
Just know that if you get involved, you're sworn in.
I have something you want. Whether that's money or release, that's up to you. It's what I can offer, and it's what you so desperately need. In exchange, you'll have to put up some collateral to guarantee you keep quiet about what we do here.
But if you've gotten this far, I don't imagine that's going to be much of a problem.
— Dorian Knox, ICON President & CEO
ICON is an angle-based fed. You are not here to win; you are here to tell a story with somebody else and let the result serve it. Matches are written, not simulated.
A show is a Calling. The bigger ones, where things pay off, are Reckonings. A Calling lands every two to four weeks, in a warehouse, a closed gym, or a field, and you will always be told which.
Two pieces per Calling, and at least one has to be a segment. So either two segments, or a promo and a segment. Two promos does not cover it.
Segments are due three days before the Calling; promos the day before. Both at 11:59pm Central. Your dashboard counts down to each and tells you what is still outstanding.
The Booking Office opens an arc and sets how long it runs. You sign up to one with whoever you want to work with, and the group writes a sheet together: a rough breakdown of what happens at each Calling and how it pays off. Everyone in the storyline can edit it. Nobody else can see it.
Who’s Free on your dashboard shows who has no storyline running, so you can find someone without asking around.
Your Fight Writing Guide is how anyone booking or writing your matches knows what you do. Finishers, signatures, your move list, and anything else a writer should know. Fill it in early; it is the difference between being written and being written well.
You are paid for showing up, for winning, for cutting promos, and for writing segments. It accrues in your wallet automatically. There is nothing to claim.
NPCs exist in the world but nobody plays them full-time. They are everyone’s to use. Write them into promos and segments as you like. Your dashboard lists them with everything you need.
Ask in Discord.
There's no arena. There's no TV deal. There's no commission signing off on anything.
ICON runs in whatever building we can get into and out of. A dead warehouse outside Gary, a foundry in Youngstown that stopped pouring in 1987, a meatpacking floor that still smells like what it used to be. The location goes out late and it goes out quiet. If you're not on the list, you don't know where it is, and by the time anyone official works it out we're already gone and the floor's been hosed down.
It isn't broadcast on a TV network. No network on earth would carry what happens on that floor.
Nobody here is protected. There's no commission, no medical clearance worth the paper, and no one coming to stop it if it goes too far.
ICON is fighters, not wrestlers. The vocabulary reads like a fight. Strikes, clinch work, takedowns, ground control, submissions, but leaving your feet is legal, so the flying stuff is in bounds too; risky though. Think a fight promotion with a mean streak and extremely seedy underbelly rather than a sports-entertainment show.
Championships are Dominions. Tag teams are Pacts. Stables are Syndicates, and a Syndicate can hold a Dominion as a unit, with the reign belonging to the group.
Characters have a Morality rather than an alignment. Honorable, Ambiguous, Ruthless, or Evil. Nobody's a "face."
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We're an angle Fighting-based eFed built around fictional characters. Real fighter/wrestler identities are not allowed.
We aren't here to work our fingers to the bone. We're here to have fun, create, and worldbuild. You have to be completely okay with staff using your character creatively without your total knowledge, and here's what we promise in return:
We will never permanently write your character off (retirement, "fired," written out of the story) without talking to you first. A squash is a bad night. Being erased is different, and that's always your call.
We will never the morality of your character, or make an identity-defining change to who they are, without checking in with you beforehand.
We will never put real-world political, religious, or social commentary in your character's mouth. Kayfabe heat is fair game. Your actual beliefs are not a storyline prop.
We will never pair your character romantically, in a pact or syndicate, or under a manager without a heads-up first.
If you've told us something is off-limits for your character, it's off-limits. Full stop.
Nothing is permanent if it's genuinely not working for you. If a call we made isn't sitting right, come talk to us.
None of this works without trust; yours in us, and ours in you. If something ever feels off, tell us. We'd always rather hear it than have you quietly check out.
Losing a match doesn't mean losing at this hobby. Some of the best stories in this hobby are built on losses, close calls, and slow-burn redemption. If you write something you're proud of, you already won.
That said,we're not going to pretend chasing gold isn't part of the fun. Becoming a champion (we called them Dominions), headlining a big show, being the main guy or girl is a real thrill, and title pushes will generally go to the writers putting in more than the bare minimum. We want the people actively building this place with us to feel that effort pay off.
To be clear: that doesn't mean you need to be "the best writer" in the room. It means showing up, staying engaged, and genuinely wanting to be part of the bigger story. That's what we're actually looking for.
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Promos are where your character's inner world lives; who they are outside the ring, how ICON is actually affecting them. A few guidelines to keep that space working for everyone.
Absolutely no sexual content involving minors, and no depictions of sexual assault. This isn't a warning-first rule. Any violation results in immediate termination from ICON, no exceptions.
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Callings are roughly once a month. This is a product of our low-stress, but high quality product we want to put forth. Canonically, it doesn't make sense for our promotion to "schedule" shows.
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What you put into it: real effort, real voice, real stakes get noticed
The story we're building: sometimes a result sets up something bigger down the road
Pacing and freshness: nobody wants to watch the same three people trade wins every show
Losing a match is never the end of your moment. If the story calls for you to fall short of the pinfall, our job is making sure you don't fall short of the moment itself; a monster performance, a receipt later that night, a segment that turns your loss into the start of something bigger.
You should walk away from a "loss" still feeling like you won something or have a compelling story being told. That follow-through is a promise from us, not a nice-to-have.
ICON has a unique set of fight types. Stipulations can vary, but these are the standard.
No rounds, no time limit, though time of the fight is tracked.
The winner must either knock out their opponent, make their opponent submit, or make their opponent verbally quit.
Best of three rounds. No time limit, though times of the rounds are tracked.
Round 1: Fighter 1 of Team A faces off against Fighter 1 of Team B.
Round 2: Fighter 2 of Team A faces off against Fighter 2 of Team B.
Round 3 (if necessary): The winners of each round face off in a winner take all round.
No rounds, no time limit, though time of the fight is tracked.
Syndicates can vary from 3 to 6 fighters, but only three will be used on a team for a particular bout. The fight ends when all of the members of a single team have been knocked out, forced to submit, or say they quit. All fighters are in the ring at the same time.
Disclaimer: When a syndicate holds the Syndicate Dominion, ANY three members of a Syndicate can defend the title, not just the three that won it.
