History Main / ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections

** Many villains and villain groups have ties to the USJ and are often released around the time Madam President wants a problem removed. She springs Magnetic out of prison to kill Sainz, only for it to be foiled by Snake.

** The World Nobles are an even more extreme example. If there's someone they can't shoot and is openly defying them, an [[PersonOfMassDestruction Admiral]] gets involved immediately. Arguably, the only people in the world who could get away with defying the World Nobles are the Four Emperors -- not even the Seven Warlords of the Sea (who have a notorious amount of UltimateJobSecurity) can get away with that. Though this is because one of the Emperors ''alone'' is enough to challenge the World Government and the Marines with sheer manpower rather than any kind of strong influence beyond that of pirates. Another exception is another World Noble, such as when [[spoiler:Saint Mjosgard strikes Saint Charloss with a spiked club. No admiral is summoned because it would create a paradox, with the admiral being unable to enforce the law without the admiral themselves harming a World Noble.]]

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has Janos Slynt attempt to do this at the Wall, despite the fact that at the Wall you're essentially a dead man and no one will care what happens to you.

* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Though Light is one of the suspects of the Kira case from the very beginning, his father's status as the Chief of Police is what protects him from being seriously considered as such by the normal police and he knows it.

* ''[[Fanfic/BridgesBurned (Mama always told me that I should play nice. But she never met you)]]'' makes this a central element of Marinette's revenge against her [[FairWeatherFriend Fair-Weather Friends]]. Since they turned on her in favor of [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]], who lies about [[CelebrityLie knowing various celebrities]], Marinette calls in favors from famous figures like Lois Lane and Tony Hawk, who proceed to pull various strings on behalf of the people she points them towards -- all friends who ''didn't'' betray Marinette's trust. It's explictly stated that many of the opportunities they're giving her friends would typically go to older candidates, but all of the celebrities she contacts are so pissed off by how she was betrayed that they're willing to bend the rules in order to send a message to those who hurt her.

!!!''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}}''

* Essentially deconstructed in the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''/''Franchise/HarryPotter'' crossover ''[[http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-3655-3/Anoron+The+Key+To+Marauding.htm The Key to Marauding]]'': After Lucius [[AttemptedRape tries to rape]] Dawn, Abraxas attempts to cover up the incident while also trying to get James and Sirius expelled for attacking Lucius (as they jumped in to defend her). While Dumbledore can't make the rape charges stick without putting down in an uncomfortable position, he and Professor [=McGonagall=] do their best to punish him for his actions, including restricting his movements through Hogwarts for the rest of the year, forcing him to hand his wand in whenever he's not in class, and making it clear that he ''will'' be expelled if he gets into any further trouble before graduating.

* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': As a police inspector, Galbraith takes advantage of his position sometimes even without any reason - the first chapter of the first act is the most striking example of this. It is ironic that in the third act he no longer has power, because the American policeman in England can no longer rule like he does at home.
* The ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13653421/1/Ash-s-Adventure-Girls-Hunter-Edition Ash's Adventure: Girls' Hunter Edition]]" is set in a world where humans can also train [=PokeGirls=]- female trainers defeated in battle can be 'captured' with human balls and gain a Pokemon type- a chain of events leads to Ash being unable to receive a licence from Professor Oak, but he acquires a set of human balls that he uses to save Misty's life when they meet during a thunderstorm and a Spearow attack. As part of Misty's efforts to help Ash, she is able to call Bill (the inventor of the Pokemon storage system) and arrange for him to provide Ash with a trainer's licence that deliberately ignores any [=PokeGirls=] Ash might catch so that they don't register as part of his full team. As a result, Ash could theoretically catch a full team of six Pokemon and as many [=PokeGirls=] as he wants so long as he doesn't keep them in their human balls full-time, although when informed about this he was planning to release his only [=PokeGirl=] captures as soon as was practical.
* ''Fanfic/ACloudyPath'': Taylor sees the Unwritten Rules as a prime example of this, noting how they seem to favor those who are already in power:
-->'''Taylor:''' I've never cared for the unwritten rules. Ever since I first heard of them, they rubbed me the wrong way. Too easy to manipulate, and they always seemed to favor villains way more than they did heroes. If you tried to rely on them, they failed you the moment somebody with too much power decided to fuck you over. Because it would have been too difficult to call them to account. It always favored the people in power, and if you weren't with them, then you got nothing. A system for the strong to stay strong, and say 'fuck you' to everyone else.

* ''Webcomic/DestinyIntertwined'': Dragons that are part of noble clans are given preferential treatment under the law, to the point of being able to get away with murder even if there's evidence. Clanless dragons are treated a great deal more harshly.

* ''Fanfic/ExitumEternal'': Saren uses his status as a Spectre to shorten his commute times.

* ''Fanfic/ArrowRebirth'';

* ''Fanfic/TaarokosBuffyTheVampireSlayer: Season 9'';

* ''Fanfic/TheChosenSix'';

* Defied with a vengeance in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4606270/1/Effects-and-Side-Effects Effects and Side Effects]]''. Draco tries to blatantly ignore the fact that he was the cause of Harry's [[invoked]] [[GenderBender change in legal status]] in order to steal the Potter title from him, knowing that his connections would ignore any rulings by 'inferior' goblins. The goblins are not impressed by his posturing, especially considering Draco is relying on his father's connections, not any connections ''he'' would have. Considering his father is currently in Azkaban at this point, the goblins proceed to strip Draco of his titles and grant them to Harry. It only gets worse when Draco panics at the loss of status and attempts to kill Harry. By casting a killing curse near a ranking goblin. [[TooDumbToLive In their own bank.]] When Draco ''continues'' to try to play the connection card, the goblins proceed to drag him off for execution. This sublime state of suicidal foolishness becomes a RunningGag throughout the story when people ask Harry what happened to Draco.

* ''[[Fanfic/TheLamentSeriesChaoticNeutral Chloe's Lament]]'':
** Chloe's overreliance upon this [[HoistByHerOwnPetard screws her over]] after she [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor makes a Wish]] to [[RoleSwapAU swap places with Marinette]]. Since her father is now a 'mere' baker rather than the Mayor of Paris, she's no longer able to fall back upon this tactic.

* ''Webcomic/FeralnetteAU'': After proposing to Marinette that they should work together in order to [[spoiler:discover Hawk Moth's identity]], Chloe uses her connections to ensure that Lila [[NeverRecycleYourSchemes can't attempt to get Marinette kicked out of school again]]: she claims that Marinette is tutoring her, and if Principal Damocles attempts to expel her again, she'll bring her father's wrath down upon the school.
* ''Fanfic/JerkInSheepsClothing'': While Chloe is used to using her father's position this way, Henri possesses even more powerful connections in the form of having a parental relationship with the head of a ''very'' powerful tech company... one that happens to be tied to her father's campaign. This gives him the pull to potentially ''ruin'' her father.

* [[SpoiledBrat Chloe]] heavily relies upon this in ''Fanfic/LeaveForMendeleiev'', using her father's connections [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney and money]] to pull as many strings as she can. [[SternTeacher Ms. Mendeleiev]] shocks her by completely refusing to bend to her will, countering her demands with a BadassBoast:
-->'''Chloe:''' Do you know who I am?\\

** Chloe proceeds to try and get to Marinette and her newfound friends in other ways, such as [[spoiler:rigging the Weather Girl contest]] just to spite Aurore and convincing Mme Bustier to harass Marinette on her behalf, trying to pressure her into transferring back or agreeing to tutor Chloe.

* ''Fanfic/WeightOffYourShoulder'' has this cause a cascading effect when Chloe's KarmaHoudiniWarranty finally runs out. Since said warranty relied upon her father's status as the Mayor, once it expires, public opinion turns against ''him'' as well for constantly enabling her. Same goes for Miss Bustier and Principal Damocles, who face harsh reviews and potentially losing their jobs as a result.

** Chloe honestly believes that she can use her status as the Mayor's daughter to force the [[TheUnmasking recently unmasked Marinette]] to hand over the Miracle Box, threatening to have the Dupain-Chengs' business shut down if she refuses. Much to her shock, Marinette stands up to her... and she also finds that the local law enforcement is no longer willing to bow to her father's whims.

** Ms. Bustier attempts to invoke this by pressuring Marinette to publicly forgive Chloe and Lila despite how both not only bullied her constantly but are being investigated for aiding and abetting Hawkmoth's terrorism. Since Marinette is Ladybug, she expects her model student's word to have extra weight, and for her to continue 'leading by example'. Again, Marinette refuses to cooperate.
* ''Fanfic/ApexPredatorMHA'' features a benevolent version: All Might takes advantage of his status as the Number 1 Hero in Japan to protect people from being taken in and exploited by the Hero Commission.

* In ''Fanfic/ItsOverIsntItItsOnlyJustBegun'', Endeavor has become the Number One Hero in the wake of All-Might's [[ForWantOfANail world-changing]] HeroicSacrifice. One way he's taken advantage of his new status is to turn the whole block around his agency into a dead zone. No internet; no phone; minimal electricity. Why? So he wouldn't have to deal with the press camping on his doorstep.

* In ''Fanfic/WakingNightmares'', a rare heroic version of this is used when the [[ConMan Flim Flam brothers]] come to claim Sweet Apple Acres, which they did actually win in the series. [[SpannerInTheWorks Tri]][[BullyHunter xie]] promptly points out the multitude of ways that the heroes could use their own connections to make their victory decidedly [[PyrrhicVictory meaningless]].

* On ''Series/BurnNotice'', one scumbag AbusiveParent uses his connections to protect his mobster brother. When Michael and company take out the scumbag by making him look like an unstable lunatic, it's mentioned in the epilogue that the brother will likely go down with him.
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'':

** Gomez uses this to bluff the owner of Gus's laundromat when Hank sends him there to search for evidence of the meth lab that exists underneath the facility:

* The murderer in the ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' episode "Breaking Ranks" seems unconcerned about being caught dead to rights because "My father's name means something in this town." Murdoch replies "And now, so will yours."