PPC-8068 inside a cassette deck.
Phenomenon No.: PPC.Protectorate Phenomenon Classification-8068
Phenomenon Class: Thaumiel
Modus Usus: PPC-8068 is to be played once yearly over global radio stations on the anniversary of the Protectorate's founding. Individuals wishing to listen to PPC-8068 outside of this period may request the use of the object with their supervisor(s).
Summation: PPC-8068 is a Type I ferricobalt audio cassette tape recording of the song Hoping Machines by Woody Guthrie, Jim James, Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, and Anders Parker. The reels are immune to degradation and the object is presumed to be indestructible. Copies made using duplicator machines possess the same properties as the original.
When played, PPC-8068 will instill a sensation of tranquility and clarity to all subjects who are capable of hearing it. Subjects with hearing loss/deafness who are capable of reading PPC-8068's lyrics when transcribed by someone listening to the object will display similar effects. The feeling conveyed by PPC-8068 will result in the reduction of aggressive, fear-driven, and hate-filled responses to topics that would otherwise result in the aforementioned reaction in subjects.
Addendum 6923-1: Creation
PREAMBLE: The following meeting was called following an escalation of the Global Occult Coalition's operations worldwide. All representatives of the Council are present.
Dracu: This is the fifth time this month the GOC have intercepted our shipments of aid. Someone here is leaking information.
Chapell: Anyone care to fess up? I promise I'll go easy on your face.
Wilson: Tonya, please. No one here is selling us out.
Nobody: From what my team has gathered, I can confirm they have not been getting tips from one of us.
dado: hello yes maybe i can be of asking question.
Chao: By all means.
dado: dado is of think, maybe we can make thing to ease of stop attack? most of us yes are of make of magic, so mayhaps this easy can be do?
Gibson: I believe the entrepreneur poses a good point.
Critic: Hmm… I suppose that could work. But us? Create a weapon?
Kriyot: It doesn't have to be a weapon.
Wilson: No weapons. I don't want us dropping nukes.
Wondertainment: That would most certainly not inspire whimsy. But if not a weapon, then what?
ADAM: Query: Why not something to inspire peace?
Anderson II: Swords into plowshares, eh? Sure, but but how?
dado: dado is of having an idea.
Icky: Well, spit it out, little guy!
dado: ahem. music.
Carter: Music…
Critic: How gauche.
M'rj'nz: You better have one hell of a good song to convince the Coalition to put their arms down.
Fritz: I have an idea. What about… Hoping Machines?
Critic: Guthrie? How blasé.
Wilson: Do you have any better ideas, Critic? Or are you just going to sit there and criticize?
Critic: It's in the name, darling.
Fritz: No, I'm serious. My grandpa on my mom's side was a union man in the coal mines, and he loved Guthrie. He would sing Hoping Machines for my brother and me when we were little.
ADAM: Statement: The song Hoping Machines is particularly hopeful, as the name implies.
M'rj'nz: Well then. But what properties should this song have?
Dracu: It should appeal to the best in every one of us.
Chapell: It should be a symbol of what we represent.
Nobody: It should inspire love for one another.
Kriyot: Something those fash bastards at the Coalition don't have for anyone who isn't one of them.
Fritz: Hence why I suggested Hoping Machines. It's perfect.
Wilson: Very well. All in favor?
(A chorus of "aye"s ring out)
Wilson: … All against?
Carter: I see no value in this course of action…
Kriyot: That's because you have no imagination.
Critic: Abstaining.
Kriyot: Of course you are, you m—
Wilson: Enough, Jude. If there are no further objections…
AFTERWORD: The notion to create PPC-8068 passed 16-1-1.
Addendum 6923-2: Testing
On 11/27/2025, the Overwatch Council approved the testing of PPC-8068 on volunteering Protectorate members. Excerpted results are recorded below.
Volunteer: Agent Harold Bassinger.A former member of Overseer Marion Carter's security team, prior to Marshall, Carter, and Dark's liquidation by the Coalition; now a member of Mobile Task Force Gamma-87 "Money Talks". Noted by Overseer McCallister to be apathetic to the Protectorate's cause, seemingly more interested in monetary gain.
Results: After two loops of PPC-8068, Agent Bassinger began to tear up, before asking to be excused from the testing room. Permission was granted. Agent Bassinger proceeded to walk back to his barracks, and began to apologize profusely to other members of MTF Gamma-87 for his prior behaviours, promising to be more amenable henceforth.
Volunteer: Charlie "Chick" Abbott.A member of Overseer Tonya Chappell's personal Task Force Alpha-29 "Valentine's Day Massacre". Noted by Overseer Chappell to be "violent and full of rage, even by my standards".
Results: Five loops of PPC-8068 were listened to by Mx. Abbott before any signs of its effects were noted. Upon the sixth loop, Mx. Abbott made an unauthorized exit of the testing room and headed towards the personal office of Overseer Chappell, requesting immediate resignation from Task Force-Alpha 29, stating "[their] heart wasn't in it anymore." Their resignation was accepted, and they were subsequently released from the Protectorate's employment.
Volunteer: Alvin Paulieri.Notably accepted to volunteer for PPC-8068 testing before it was even fully explained to him.
Results: Upon the first loop of PPC-8068, Mr. Paulieri burst into tears and confessed to being the mole leaking information to the Coalition, claiming he had done so only because the fate of his family was on the line if he refused. Clemency for betraying the Protectorate's mission was offered to him, in exchange for joining Overseer Fritz's disinformation operations and feeding false data to the Coalition henceforth.
Volunteer: Agent Alto Clef .Formerly known as Coalition Agent Ukulele, who defected to the Protectorate's side in 2021.
Results: Agent Clef listened to 10 loops of PPC-8068, looking wistful by the time of the eighth loop. When asked how he felt, he stated simply that "I need to go hug my daughter", and refused to elaborate further before being released.
Addendum 6923-3: Deployment
On 12/25/2025 - thanks to the efforts of Overseers ADAM and Gibson collaborating with Protectorate Sites worldwide - the Protectorate hijacked global radio signals to play PPC-8068 for 24 hours. Due to the top-secret nature of PPC-8068, the Coalition was unaware of its properties and played the signal throughout their headquarters.
What follows is a summary of the initial effects PPC-8068 had within, via security footage retrieved by Nobody after the fact.
<08:15>: PPC-8068 begins to play throughout Coalition headquarters. All Coalition operatives present cease their tasks, glancing up at the loudspeakers in confusion. D.C. Al Fine looks up from within her quarters, her brow furrowing as she thumbs a button on her desk.
<08:16>: Alarms begin to blare within Coalition headquarters. Despite their volume, it does not drown out PPC-8068's music in any capacity. There is hesitation amongst the gatherings of Coalition operatives, before they hurriedly assemble into teams of four and begin sweeping through the facility.
<08:17>: Coalition teams begin shooting out the loudspeakers across the facility, with noticeable reluctance amongst 55% of operatives. Meanwhile, D.C. Al Fine can be seen typing on her keyboard, occasionally glancing up at the loudspeaker in the corner of her quarters. Her hands can be seen faltering briefly.
<08:18-08:20>: Coalition operatives within teams gradually cease their movements, and become resistant towards their superiors. Arguments begin to break out, which slowly devolve into sobbing, the laying down of weapons, and embraces.
<08:21-08:29>: Attempts are made by the Coalition's PNEUMA Division to suppress or otherwise disable PPC-8068's broadcast within the headquarters. These attempts invariably fail. D.C. Al Fine is witnessed hyperventilating in her chair, attempting to block out the sound of PPC-8068 with her hands against her ears.
<08:30>: The Coaltion's PANGEA Division shuts down power across the entirety of Coalition headquarters, which serves to halt PPC-8068's broadcast.
<08:31>: D.C. Al Fine uncovers her ears, and breathes out a silent sigh.
<08:32>: The PANGEA Division activates the Coalition headquarters' Faraday defense system, sheltering the facility from any outside signals, before restoring power to the facility.
<08:33>: D.C. Al Fine stares at her desk for a few moments. Her lip trembles into a smile.
<08:34>: D.C. Al Fine Cassandra begins to cry, as she resumes typing on her computer.
The Global Occult Coalition is set to dissolve by the end of the year.