The Indiependent Collective’s first cosplay event concluded with Marko Stojkovic and Genevene Sharleen Burwell-Stojkovic bagging the highest award. With a wedding-themed cosplay, the couple turned into real-life Loid and Yor, the main characters of “Spy x Family.”

The story follows a spy named Twilight who is on a mission to infiltrate an elite school to get close to a target. To do so, he must create a fake family, and he ends up adopting a telepathic girl named Anya and marrying an assassin named Yor. The series combines elements of spy thrillers, comedy, and family drama.

The manga has received critical acclaim for its unique premise, well-developed characters, and engaging plot. It has been praised for its blend of humor and heartwarming moments, as well as its commentary on family dynamics and relationships. Marko and Genevene made it possible for the audience to get a glimpse of what the fictional characters would look like had they become real and breathing. Not only did they do it well, but they portrayed it with an immense passion that it seemed to the viewers that they came right out of a screen.

According to Genevene, the start of their cosplaying roots back to their daughter, Ella, who told them she was interested in trying the hobby when they saw cosplayers roaming around SMX last July. On August 2022, Marko and Genevene allowed Ella to participate in the Fanfes Circuit where she cosplayed Anya Forger. Ella then asked them to dress up next time as Loid and Yor, her foster parents in the anime series. It was all a chance occurrence that began as a spark of interest. In the moment of those realized enjoyment and dreams, the family then dived into the field of cosplaying. The rest was history, and in the present time lies their continuous pursuit for what their hearts are set on — cosplaying.

Marko and Genevene eventually figured out that the best way to relay their support to their daughter, Ella, is to become the supporting characters of whomever she chooses to portray. Indeed, this event’s winner not only holds the title of the best cosplayer but also, creates such a heartening representation of what it’s like to become great parents, just like Loid and Yor.