A fictional public institution

Department of
Unwritten Rules

Documenting the rules everyone knows and nobody agreed to.

Ordinary life runs on thousands of social rules that were never formally written down. The Department investigates them with the administrative seriousness they apparently require.

RECORDS OFFICEJUNIOR RECORDS CLERK
Mina Aoki, the Department's Junior Records Clerk, wearing her navy Department hoodie and over-ear headphones
Junior Records ClerkMina AokiRecords Office
Current docket

Cases under investigation

Public investigations and comment periods appear here when the Department releases them.

Open the archive
CASE 0001Under Investigation

The Last Slice

Bureau of Shared Food

One slice of shared pizza remains. Everyone can see it. Nobody is sure whether taking it is efficient, selfish, or an invitation to a negotiation.

Question before the Department

When does the final slice become available to the first willing citizen?

Open case file
The public record

A filing system for the rules between the rules.

The Department treats small questions of timing, distance, courtesy, and shared obligation as matters worthy of a proper file. Cases begin with a familiar situation, invite public testimony, and may eventually receive guidance or a final ruling.

About the Department
Department findings

Recent rulings

Conclusions appear only after an actual case reaches the ruling stage.

CASE 0002Final Ruling

The Driver Thank-You Wave

A discretionary traffic courtesy creates a reciprocal acknowledgment obligation.

Citizen reports

Something happened. There was clearly a rule.

Public intake is not open yet. When it is, every report will remain private until human review, and nothing will be published without the submitter's chosen permission.

Read the Intake Notice