Science Planning

I have a lot of stuff to put here idk where it all is

Generator

The generator runs on ectoplasmic energy, which is technically termed "ambient electromagnetism" to not sound...occult to the layperson. To be honest I made up that term based on conspiracy theories and ?pseudoscience? but it turns out it's a thing that actually does exist, and there are people who have used it to charge batteries and etc. so actually this has basis in reality, and gives this 1000 times the zero escape vibes. The only thing is that electromagnetism probably doesn't actually behave like floating souls.

The generator's external area is a large funnel in the ground which is also a kind of dish/antenna. It has a pulling effect on ectoplasm, causing souls to be pulled towards the funnel and towards its centre, where they will be absorbed and used to generate electricity. This is the central structure in this setting - most of the issues will stem from the existence of the generator as well as its management. This part is only for planning the science so I'll talk about the management in a different place...

The generator's functioning area is deep down below - there are a lot of maintenance tunnels and etc. Rev quarters are also underground. There are measures to soak up excess electromagnetic energy (besides the fact that the suction already removes energy from the vicinity) so the underground area is safe from supernatural threats. Though it can support a few hundred people, there are only about 50 or so people living on-site, primarily Revs and the people who work more closely with them. It's basically an underground bunker, designed and built with the intent of sheltering only certain people if it got too dangerous above ground...unsurprisingly, the people who already live there are not within this headcount. Also, the electromagnetic shielding is only in effect if the generator is active, which has the irony of exacerbating above-ground conditions. For now, it can be treated as a 100% safe place to live as long as the generator remains functional.

Above-ground there are the more traditional structures like the step-up transformer, offices, etc. The rim of the funnel is open to the public for tourism and elevators to go down a few floors exist. The sides of the funnel contain observation windows, there's a gift shop, restaurant, etc. Tours in the above-ground area are conducted on request and occasionally has kids on field trips. The underground structures beyond the funnel are strictly off-limits. The general structure is described to the public as educational material although no one really takes an interest in it beyond general knowledge. It's semi-busy due to its location. Ectoplasm rarely ever clusters here, it's always moving, so this is a very safe area.

Ectoplasm

Generally speaking if left alone it diffuses evenly over time, and after a very long time it eventually fades. In high concentrations it can cause hallucinations (in the scientific literature) but they're more like...actual supernatural events. Usually it will spike in concentration when a soul is released from its body, which can cause hauntings to be reported by people in the area.

However if it's agitated in a major way (e.g. by sucking it up...) it tends to cluster even as the concentration drops, which causes greater chances of incidents occurring.

Soul and Body

Souls are bound to living bodies...specifically they reside inside the ribcage. Exact location is not known - the general consensus is that it's PROBABLY the heart. A soul is bound to the body for as long as it's alive - people generate small electromagnetic fields from bodily activity, blood going around the ribs, etc. and this suspends the soul in place, which also prevents it from dispersing. Souls in a body are not affected by the pull of the generator as the body's fields are strong enough to protect the soul from being pulled. This is at a sensible distance, of course, much like how swimming in a spent nuclear fuel pool won't kill you unless you deliberately swim downwards...standing at the bottom of the funnel won't have any effect either, you'd have to go very deep down to even start feeling the effects.

Rev bodies are designed to mimic the protective structure of the human body. They generate a protective field around the centre of the ribcage and the bones and enable the Rev to freely control nanomachines to form their outer appearance. However, this isn't nearly as strong as a human body's field, and Revs are more susceptible to the pull of the generator than living humans are. (They still have to get very close to the main generator section to feel the pull, however.)

Humans

My intention with this setting doesn't have anything to do with the science of explaining why everyone looks different but is biologically the same species and don't want to put too much focus on it so I've been calling them all humans LOL. I don't intend to think too much about their taxonomy since it's not extremely relevant; for my purposes they behave like modern human beings and have modern (possibly slightly advanced) technology.

The only things I've thought about along these lines is that they are extremely variable as a species and can look similar to any vaguely mammalian creature, however, they're all fundamentally the same species, and have the following in common:

• Diet - omnivorous. Their dental structure more closely resembles canids' than any other.
• Outer covering - only fur or anything that can be found on a mammal. Even the ones that I would class as "birdlike" are more accurately draconic, in that they don't have a distinct beak, have teeth, and don't have feathers.
• Nose - positioning of nostrils and shape of snout is variable - many have a notably bare/differently-coloured tip of nose. Some have a more dragonlike/tapering snout with just the nostrils and no philtrum. Some may demonstrate something in-between, without a philtrum but a more blocky nose. Again though this is really just explanation to slightly justify the diversity of their appearances while making them still part of the same species.
• Claws - this is like saying humans have fingernails. But would like to note that they have pointy claws, even the ones that look apparently like herbivores (which are quite few - most resemble carnivorous/omnivorous mammal species). These are in general not retractable, including on catlike individuals.
• Tails - tails are also very variable in terms of appearance, but this is largely due to fur growth patterns - e.g. they can have bushy tails, long haired tails, tufted tail tips...but the structure underneath is ratlike, which is to say thin and not very meaty. To the general populace this is the distinguishing physical feature for Revs, who all have thick tapering lizard tails.

Animals do exist but they're considered distinct from humans. Nothing is apparently wrong with this. Yes they keep pets and eat animals.