Missi (The Vampair)



Missi is the given name of the secondary protagonist of the "Vampair" series of animated music videos made by animator Daria Cohen. Despite being the protagonist of the first video "The Night", she is hardly the hero, given events which play out later in the series.

Backstory
Missi's background is unknown as of he latest video "Ch. 3 Resurrection". Her reasons for entering the castle are unknown, as are most details of her character before she acquired Duke's cane. She may have received instruction in piano at some point. All that is known definitively is that the events of the videos are set in motion by her choice to come to Duke's Castle to read a copy of Twilight.

The Night
During the events of "The Night", Missi arrives at Duke's castle with a backpack and a copy of "Twilight", which she sits down to read. Her reading is interrupted by the arrival of the castle's master; the vampire Duke. Surprised and frightened by Duke and his behavior, Missi attempts to flee, only to have her book knocked from her hands and destroyed.

She attempts to flee via the front door but is trapped inside by Duke, who wraps her up in a red rope from his cane. The ropes retract to reveal her old clothes torn away and a dark velvet dress in it's place. Missi ends up pulled back to Duke, who strings her up like a marionette and makes her sway around the entrance hall, until she frees herself by breaking the strings and escapes up a concealed stairway. She is confronted by Duke again, who triggers the stairs causing them to turn into a slide, sending Missi back down, with Duke in pursuit.

Missi manages to elude Duke for a time and reaches another door, but is caught by Duke again, who dances her back into the main hallway. As they dance Missi catches a glimpse of sunlight coming in from outside. Thinking quickly, Missi pretends to return Duke's advances and seduces him into stepping closer to the rope which opens the curtains. She succeeds in opening the curtains and takes Duke's cane and using it to hit him into the rays of the sun, burning him to ash. As the vampire crumbles to dust, Missi holds the cane and her face transforms into that of a vampire, signifying her possession by the cane.

Land of the Dead
Missi only appears at the end of the video, looking through some old books previously owned by Duke. It is then revealed she found a resurrection spell at which point she seems to form a dark plan to resurrect Duke for no apparent reason other than to make him miserable.

Interstitials
In the animatic following "Land of the Dead" Missi is shown in a room full of bizarre electrical and mechanical devices. She sits at a desk covered in books, papers and vials, which she brushes away in frustration. She pulls a switch, shining spotlights on a cauldron into which she drops Duke's clothes, which causes a swarm of ghosts and clouds of smoke to billow up, as Missi prepares to summon the vampire.

In this animatic we get hints as to Missi's probable past. She says she was kicked out of school, but any details surrounding these events have yet to be reveled. This video also debuts her cat familiar, Minose.

In the video "Meanwhile Back at the Castle" Missi is shown standing on a stepladder over the cauldron preparing summon Duke. The cauldron seems to have been moved from the lab to a room with tall windows and bookshelves.

Ch. 3 Resurrection
In "Ch. 3 Resurrection", Missi succeeds in summoning Duke. As he steps from the cauldron she watches him from the balcony. She lights the torches with the power of the cane and confronts Duke, taunting him with a rendition of "Fuck You". She resists Duke's attempts to take the cane back and brutalizes him with it, before using it to break a hole in the floor and drop him into the dungeon.

In the dungeon Missi uses the cane again to light purple fire in the eye sockets of a pile of skulls, and to bring gargoyles to life to serve as a chorus in her song. Duke attempts to leave, but Missi corners him in a room, playing piano and telling him she and he are in a war. She summons a shadow creature which flies Duke through six doors and out of the castle, where she slams the last door in his face, locking him out.

Personality and Characteristics
Details about Missi's personality before becoming a vampire are unavailable. She appears to enjoy reading and seems to have a fondness for "Twilight".

After becoming a vampire, Missi's personality becomes more defined. She summons Duke from the dead, to vent her anger and hatred toward him, mocking his personality - or at least her perception of it - in song, before inflicting bodily harm to him and throwing him from his own castle and slamming the door in his face. This seems to indicate that Missi can be vindictive and have a sense of poetic irony, given how her performance nearly mirrors the one Duke gave the night he attacked her.

Missi seems to be studious and clever in both forms, shown by her love of reading and quick-thinking when she lured Duke to his death. This was shown again in her researching how to resurrect the vampire.

Missi's taste in music seems to be more "mainstream" than Duke, which has been attributed by the creator to her being more modern than Duke. She also appears to be trained in piano, which she plays with two fingers.

Character Development
"Missi lost a fang in the ladies' room we all laughed and called her snaggle-tooth!"

According to creator Daria Cohen, the issue of whether Missi was originally a vampire or became one was undetermined at the time she created the "The Night" video. Hence she drew the character's hair so it would cover her ears and keep the issue vague, she eventually decided the cane was responsible and Missi was under it's influence.

Unlike Duke, Missi was not directly inspired by the works of |Aurelio Voltaire, but she does draw inspiration from him. In the song "The Vampire Club", a character named "Missi" is named:

As this song also references a character named "D" who carried a cane, it seems likely that Missi's name was taken from this song.

Missi's dress is likely made of velvet, given the line "in her velvet dress" from her debut video.