Vox Central
Voxes (singular: Vox) are community creatures that are deeply invested in sound and music. They have large ears and excellent hearing as well as wonderful singing voices and melodic calls. They get their name from the word vox, meaning voice.
Species Information
Vox Anatomy
Voxes have sturdy short builds, and are about the size of a human when standing, if a little short (average 5'). They can be bipedal or quadrupedal. They have long fur on their wrists and ankles that cover their paws, which have pads and can have claws. Their faces are soft and snouted, with open nostrils for a nose and pointed teeth. They have long ears that can be upright or droop backwards, but will always perk up at attention when listening intently. They are typically fairly fluffy along the neck and shoulders as well. Their tails can vary, but typically are short. Their eyes have black irises with white pupils. The sclera can be any color. Their fur and markings can also vary greatly. Their sex and gender presentation is up for interpretation! Depending on the family, they can have other features as well, like small horns or spikes, or long tails and shorter ears. Individual Voxes tend to have musical names, but not always.
Vox Culture
Voxes are born with a song in their soul. Oftentimes, it is similar to their parents' songs, but not always, and can change over time. Voxes identify deeply with these songs, and will often hum them to themselves when they're not speaking or singing to anyone in particular. They are comforted by their own songs, and love to learn the songs of others. It's considered fairly intimate to sing your song one-on-one to another Vox, something usually reserved for friends and family. It is even more intimate to "cover" another Vox's song, something usually only found between partners or very close friends or a parent and child. Otherwise, Voxes are very musical, singing nothings and everythings and singing in groups and when they're alone. Music flows all around these beings in an almost supernatural way.
Voxes form families seemingly based on the genre of their songs. Song genres are somewhat hereditary and therefore seem to keep families together. Families also seem to influence the appearance of the Vox, such as "harder" genres giving them spikes and sharp tongues, whereas "folksier" genres extra scruff and claws. Some larger families are Pop, Folk, Noise, etc. Families aren't hard and fast lines of allegiance, and Voxes often belong to multiple ones, flitting between their homes and associating freely. Families are merely a source of comfort and belonging for those without.
Voxes are by nature polyamorous, with many relationships formed around them in different ways and levels of significance. They raise children as a community, and encourage making friends and lovers freely. Biologically, Voxes reproduce sexually between two partners, and will recognize their parents as those who made them, but realistically anyone older than them in the community is a parent figure and is treated as such.
Making Voxes
When it comes to designing Voxes, I want us to draw inspiration from real-world artists and musicians from around the world, big or small. Of course, it's not mandatory, but I find using a specific album, song, or artist to inform your Vox's song helps build their character in an interesting way. Is there an album special to you? One that has a tune that you adore?
When designing a Vox, there's a lot of leeway in terms of available features. I want the music to influence the designs as much as possible, while retaining the features that make them Voxes (tall ears, sharp teeth, draconic snout, fluffy limbs, etc!). Have fun without going too wild! Voxes can also be clothed and have accessories! My personal Vox, Timbre, is based off of Son Lux's album "Brighter Wounds", and has a similar color scheme to the album cover and a personality based off the tone of the album!
While Voxes are an open species, and I encourage you to make your own and show me, I ask that you consider donating to my ko-fi or buying the base linked below to support me! You are allowed to make Voxes to sell, however I ask that you don't mass-produce them, and you @ me or DM me to let me know you're selling adopts (so I can retweet/signal boost and stuff!) If you buy a Vox from me, whether an adopt or custom design, you can assume basic adopt ettiquite, such as not reselling for more than the agreed amount plus included art, no claiming the design/art as your own, etc. Please don't use Voxes in your own comics/books/etc without permission, since I did design them. Basic stuff! If you have any questions, let me know!
Vox Registry
Timbre (by @wulvie)
Little Talks (by @pangokin)