5/8/2026with respect to this album —
about 10 years, 1 month later Quasar Nebula: wiki editor

There are three points of interest in Oppa Toby Style for identifying Penumbra Phantasm; each point must be identified either as Penumbra, Doctor, or neither (material that's not clearly derivative one way versus the other).

In this entry we're gathering notes from various times all this was brought up in the HSMusic Discord server, as well as a video by Putnam listing references throughout the entire [S] Collide. flash. This video is from the day after the flash released. Discussion in the server is much more recent (you're reading a summary from today, #references-roundup).

The three points are timestamped:
1:54–2:05 in Oppa Toby Style; 2:36–2:47 in Putnam's video
4:41–4:52 in Oppa Toby Style; 5:22–5:33 in Putnam's video
4:47–4:52 in Oppa Toby Style; 5:28–5:33 in Putnam's video
Note the third part is completely contained within the second part, and is played almost only on the left channel.

Putnam's video lists the first and second parts as Penumbra Phantasm. It doesn't call out the third part.

In March 2025 Grace wrote: (#music-discussion)

Grace Medley:
Also B.T.W. there’s Penumbra Phantasm in Ham and Steak at 7:43 (it’s the piano) and in Oppa Toby Style at 4:48 (in the left ear)

In May 2025 Interrobang wrote: (#references-roundup)

Interrobang:
I think what’s listed as a doctor reference in oppa Toby style is actually PP

In February 2026 Kenón included this in a list of certain corrections: (#references-roundup)

Kenón:
In Oppa Toby Style, change the reference from Doctor to Penumbra Phantasm

Back in March 2025, we asked for elaboration on Grace's comment. ruby wrote: (#references-roundup)

ruby:
in OTS, between Crustacean and Liqued Negrocity
for HaS, I'm not sure if I agree it being pp in the first place tbh
feels more like English really fast or something

Kenón added:

Kenón:
I'm so glad someone mentioned Penumbra in OTS because I thought I hallucinated it and was too scared to bring it up-
You don't wanna be the "Penumbra is in everything" gal but sometimes It Is In Fact In The Things

And Witch's Cadence:

Witch's Cadence:
I mean it's a decently common enough motif throughout homestuck
So it's not crazy to think it might be in a homestuck track
It's when people think they hear it outside of homestuck that you really gotta double check

Now in May 2026, we reviewed everything above and looked for clarification, emphasizing that we wanted to assess the track as a whole: (#references-roundup)

Lan:
"Between Crustacean and Liquid Negrocity" = the 4:48 timestamp that Grace points out. However, Kenón was commenting specifically to change Doctor to Penumbra Phantasm (in OTS ref list), which would include the listed usage that I'm pretty sure is at 1:53.

yeah, I hear listed Cascade (Beta) at 1:30, I hear listed Doctor at 1:54

"I hear" there => seems generally conclusive that this should be replaced w/ PP, appearing first 1:54 and also later 4:48. But that's pulling everyone's comments together, no one has so far said that all at once.

ruby's initial take was that both parts are Penumbra Phantasm. She didn't identify the left part, i.e. left channel, as anything in particular.

ruby:
Toby loves referencing his PP version of the riff instead of the original doctor
both timestamps use the PP version of the riff
left ear plays some arpeggio

We started gathering audio. ruby brought this comparison back around, from prior discussion on Hopes and Dreams:

We forwarded Erase's comparison from the day before:

Both play Doctor, then Penumbra Phantasm. Collectively we emphasized the final two notes (clear in Erase's audio) - descending in Doctor, ascending in Penumbra Phantasm. ruby revised her takeaway:

ruby:
I think it's Doctor in the latter part
last two notes have descending movement

Replying to her own message "Toby loves referencing his PP version of the riff"...

ruby:
I think i may have prejudice for any toby doctor/pps
hence I mostly assumed it to be pp

We heard it as Doctor, too.

Lan:
Okay okay, yeah
That's what I'm hearing (ofc) and why I'm reading it as Doctor
I also agree that the first usage (2:27 in Putnam vid, 1:54 in OTS) is Penumbra, not Doctor

ruby still didn't hear the third segment as anything in particular.

ruby:
the left ear part is just an arpeggio though, which i can't easily link to any particular motif (though it may be based on something of course)

A little later ruby prepared piano rolls for relevant segments:

• first part of Oppa Toby Style
• Penumbra Phantasm for reference
• Penumbra Phantasm upped 3 semitones to match key
• second part of Oppa Toby Style

And audio for the last piano roll above, in the key of Penumbra Phantasm:

Now ruby concluded where she started:

I would say that, too, is closer to PP than Doctor
same harmony and everything

Lilith, who was meanwhile looking into Penumbra Phantasm in Ham And Steak, agreed:

Lilithtreasure:
oh, 100%

And ruby left a note that the final few notes are their own thing, unique to Oppa Toby Style:

the very last bit is like
OTS original, not alluding to either PP or Doc
following the bassline

We chose to mark the earlier and later references as Penumbra Phantasm, ultimately agreeing with ruby's analysis today, Lilith's agreement today, Putnam's time-of notes, and Interrobang and Kenón's remarks in May 2025 and February 2026.

Lan:
OK, I'll consider it to be Penumbra, despite the descending two-notes utterly on their own being more Doctor than PP. Everything else still aligns more like PP.

But! "Everything else" is new territory.
Where we were starting today, the differentiation was only in the two descending notes, or the broader movement (Doctor moves while PP just repeats)

We didn't land anywhere conclusive on the left-channel segment that Grace pointed out in particular. (While preparing piano rolls, by ear ruby still didn't connect it with anything, and she did not transcribe it.)