There are five times in Star vs the Forces of Evil (up to the mid-Season 2 finale) when dipping down or something like it is depicted. Presented here in chronological order, they are:

1. Star going through Mewberty

Features:

Glowing, heart-shaped eyes

Non-glowing cheek marks

Purple skin

Six arms, wings, and antennae

Flying

2. Destroying the crystal cage in Storm the Castle

Features:

Glowing eyes (just her pupils are glowing in this image; in a later scene the entirety of her eyes glow)

Glowing cheek marks

Glowing wand

No flight or insect features

3. Unlocking the door in My New Wand!

Features:

Glowing eyes

Glowing cheek marks

Glowing body

Levitation

No insect features

4. Mina Loveberry’s transformation in Starstruck

Features:

Glowing eyes

Glowing body

Levitation

Significantly increased muscle mass

No insect features

5. Momma Butterfly at the end of Game of Flags

Features:

Glowing eyes

Non-glowing cheek marks

Purple skin

Six arms, wings, and antennae

Flying

Of all of these, only #3 is explicitly called “dipping down”. However, they all feature the use of magic without a wand or other device. Could they all be examples of “dipping down”, or is there some other technique at work here?

The differences between the examples may be revealing. Both the Mewberty and Game of Flags examples feature a physical transformation into a butterfly form, with two extra pairs of arms and large butterfly wings. Of all the Mewmans we’ve seen in the show, only Moon and Star have been shown to have this ability (although that’s a topic for another post). In contrast with the examples from Storm the Castle and My New Wand!, neither of the butterfly transformations have glowing cheek marks, although they do have glowing eyes.

My current thoughts on the matter are as follows:

#2 and #3 are both examples of “dipping down”, which Glossaryck told Star about in *My New Wand!* and which Moon learned to do at the age of 19. It seems like the effects of dipping down can vary: in #2, Star uses it to augment the power of her wand beyond what it was formerly capable of, and in #3, Star uses it to perform a feat she normally does with the wand without it.

#1 and #5 are not examples of true “dipping down”, but do work similarly. Instead of being a deliberate act, transforming into a butterfly is a more instinctual action, dipping down into the hobo stew of the universe on an inherent level that perhaps doesn’t go quite as far down as when done deliberately (hence why their cheek marks don’t glow).

#4 may be similar to #1 and #5. Although Mina Loveberry doesn’t have glowing cheek marks, she doesn’t have cheek marks at all (beyond the mud markings that she applies), so that’s to be expected. She transforms herself into a formidable warrior, which may be analogous to the butterfly transformation or it may be a different use of dipping down.



Things I don’t know:

Are all Mewmans capable of dipping down, or can only a few do it? Likewise, can all Mewmans transform into butterflies like Star and Moon have done?

Mina’s transformation is almost entirely physical. She bulks up, floats, and speaks in a multitudinous voice. Is this her version of a butterfly transformation, or is it true “dipping down”?

Speaking of true dipping down, is there actually a difference between the transformations of #1, #4, #5, and #2, #3? #1 was uncontrolled, but Mina’s and Moon’s transformations were deliberate. Could they just be other applications of dipping down, instead of something separate yet related?

Hopefully future episodes will shed some light on these questions. I suspect that the physical differences between Mina and the Butterfly women play a part in this, but that’s a subject for another time.

One example I have consciously left out of this discussion is Moon’s tapestry from Into the Wand.