Once upon a time, two lumberjacks became fairies
Once upon a time, two lumberjacks were knocking back pints at a pub when a witch walked in.
One of the tipsy men — though it’s still in dispute which one — pinched the magic-maker on the rear. The witch was none too pleased. Still, the night’s goings-on seemed nothing more than a regrettable episode of drunken debauchery. But when the lumberjacks woke up the next morning, both realized they’d sprouted wings and turned into fairies.
At least, that’s the tale Dim and Wit — now part-time attractions at conventions and festivals across the country — tell people.
But for Dim, whose human name is David Cline, there’s more to the story. The witch’s curse may have left him be-winged and clad in pink, but it also proved a magical remedy to his notso-magical anxiety issues.
Cline and his buddy David Bang first dressed up as fairy brothers back in 2010 for a Texas Renaissance Festival Halloween party. On a whim, the two Houstonarea IT workers decided to shoot for a vast departure from their regular Grim Reaper and pirate gear. So they found tutus and gossamer wings, mixed in a smattering of pastel colors and — poof! — they were fairies.
“We were just doing it the one time, but then everybody really enjoyed it,” Cline, now 47, said during an interview in his wingless human form.
“So I figured if we were going to do this again, we should have names. Then I called him up and was like, ‘OK, I have names for us: Dim and Wit.’ ”
“That’s great,” Bang responded. “I’m Wit.”
It may have been a tongue-in-cheek barb, but to Cline it made a lot of sense.
“Part of the reason I went with Dim was because I never talked; I had a lot of anxiety about talking in front of strangers,” he said.
“I don’t have that issue anymore. Dim and Wit has helped me a lot.”
After picking their fairy names, the pair created a Facebook page and quickly realized an active fairy community already existed online and at festivals across the country. The pair consulted with other fairies about character and costuming, then went back for more Ren Fest outings the following year.
At first, fairy appearances — or regular human adventures — in new places were a stressful affair, at least for Dim. In exchange for free admission, the pair went to comic conventions and festivals, giving out free in-costume hugs to complete strangers.
“At the first Comicpalooza we did, it was about a week before it that I had anxiety,” Cline said. “It was something that I’ve always struggled with.”
Five years after that first con outing in 2012, the stress has receded, and panel discussions and navigating big crowds are a regular part of their fairy gig.
Bang says that’s not an uncommon phenomenon in the cosplay world.
“A lot of people would tell you that their costumes act as a mask, even though we don’t wear masks,” the 48-year-old said. Unfortunately, the pair can’t flit about fairyclad 24/7.
“If I was dressed as Dim in a lot of places, I’d probably be more calm,” Cline said.
Over the years, the fairy brothers have grown into their roles, evolving their costumes and even developing their cursedlumberjack backstory.
They’ve gotten more colorful over the years, with Cline shifting from browns and earthy tones to pastel pinks and purples. Bang typically stands his bushy hair tall in a cone shape. Cline totes a tiny “Free Hugs” sign. And they both boast neon tights, fanciful footwear and pastel wings like those children would wear.
“But we’re not really children’s performers,” Bang said. In fact, it’s often little kids who are their biggest critics.
“It’s the 5-, 6-, 7-year-old girls,” Bang said. “They’ll come stomping up, hands on hips, and be like, ‘No, boys can’t be fairies.’ ”
The fairy brothers aren’t bothered by the naysayers. They have a magical mission to fulfill.
“We’re fabulous, and we give out free hugs,” Bang said. “That’s our jobs.”
The end.