Data VI - Culture Creep.
Many would believe Hell to have its own culture. Its own history, characteristics and so on.
Frankly speaking? They'd be wrong.
Much of Hell has nothing you would be able to call 'original'. Not in the full sense of the word anyway, as Hell's denizens aren't truly made to 'create', only to change. While technologically speaking, to say nothing of the magical front, Hell is leagues above and beyond Earth in development, it is also incredibly stagnant if nothing 'new' is delivered for them to adapt, perfect or just toy with.
Despite Lilith, the first woman, being forward in her desire to create a unique structure for Hell, with help of her husband never far behind (although few would say Lucifer was interested in helping Sinners get creative), this dream never truly came to be. Demonspawn were just too stuck in modifying things that came to them, not creating new, and most human souls filling Hell were equally stuck, only they just preferred to perpetuate the culture and time of their life on Earth.
While it would be true to say that Lilith ensured, perhaps more so than her husband, that Hell became a thriving place, not just a changing one, once the primordial demons and creatures that ruled and threatened its own existence were controlled and eliminated, she was still unsuccessful in her desire to make Hell 'original'. Still, she did create 'original life', in a way. Modern demons are largely linked to descendants of Cambions that were brought to bear, in most cases by force, through the primordial demons' actions. As the ancient demon entities were much more removed from anything sentient, much less sapient, than modern species of hellborn, it is unsurprising to learn that they'd use human souls as anything from food to breeding bags.
Lilith made sure to help the millions of offspring that came from those ancient couplings before the Primordial Demons were largely banished. Later on, as these original demons were no longer a problem, and the Sinners began to grow in number, she ensured the population would build Hell into a much earlier version of what it was now.
It is no secret that, for Lilith, watching the Sinners bring culture is a bittersweet thing for Lilith. More so when Sinners, as their numbers exploded, were confined to Greed. Even then, and with hopes of the rest of Hell creating its own identity, things didn't work as intended as Earth born culture kept calling in certain ways to particular areas of Hell. In fact one has to just look at what species controls what area to start guessing what happened and why.
Pride became home to Sinners and the few species natives to the land, mostly demons still close to their Cambion, thus, human blood.
Wrath housed many species, but the more prominent were the warlike, reproductive and family bound imps. Hardships, hard work and hard fights all go hand in hand.
Gluttony was mainly known for the Hellhounds and their packs' eternal appetite as well as their nose for the damned. Hunger, food and living on the edge is all part of the Ring.
Greed lacked much originality, as it does now, but a fair few species made their home there, coveting the riches others had, with its main population becoming the Selachimorphs; offshoots of Envy and known as 'Loansharks'.
Lust attracted the succubi above all else, thirsting for the desires of mortals and their sweet essence. Extremes in pain, pleasure, love and comfort.
Envy desired what others got, and the multicolored and mimicking species of the realm could call no other place their home. With Possessors being the main species, a more middle class to high born lifestyle is expected.
Sloth was the idyllic home of many, but the Baphomet's caprine nature and simple to use powers ensured the usually relaxed species nested her forever.
None of them built what they had.
They took from Earth.
Demons did not pillage and rape the land, as many thought. Although this DID happen from time to time back in the day, even after the Primeval Demons were no more a problem. No, as said what demons brought back was the culture, the ideas and the imagery. From age to age demons copied, emulated or applied their own touches to what Sinners brought back with them, or what the few demons allowed on the mortal plane dared bring back. It was never truly original, no. It was, as this snippet is fittingly called, little more than a 'culture creep'.
Today demonic technologies in all areas should've been enough to make all of Earth's fads an obsolete thought. Had they the ability, Hell could reach the stars of the mortal dimension and grab at every speck in the sky.
But that is not what is allowed.
With chains limiting most Sinners to Pride and the vast majority of Hell having daily lives and a small universe of their own in which they have to fight constantly to keep what little happiness they have. Why push so hard as to invent something new when others do it for you all the time? Every epoch on Earth has people that are fans of it in Hell. From the rare, but still very much alive people that live tribal lifestyles in certain areas, to medieval societies of various levels (ranging from age of Bronze, pre Roman era to the High Medieval age), to the Wild West, World Wars and more.
As such Earth dominates culturally, with Hell emulating much of it and, in turn, influencing how literal hellspawn, not just Sinners, are morally guided. True that most demons reflect mostly the darker aspects of Earth life, but it is still more than enough for Sinners to find some kinship with their natural hellborn neighbors as sectors of every Ring, from Pride to Sloth, are devoted to ages long past while awaiting those to come.
This spawned certain specifics in certain Rings.
Pride is a hodgepodge of almost everything you can find. The Cannibal Colony is a good example of roughly Victorian era cultures, up to the 1920s, perhaps early 30s. But you can find anything from a caveman like society to someone trying to create a cyberpunk style in certain areas.
Wrath has very much a Western theme to it, with Imps as the posterboy species either fighting, farming or following the rougher (and usually more modern) cultures of Earth. A traditionalist Ring where physical might commands most cultural interests.
Gluttony is a huge forest and rainforest area full of wild tastes and smells that greatly mimic the 60s and a generally 'rave filled' era of humanity, including drugs, alcohol and more. A generally 'happy go lucky' Ring where good times are needed in whatever culture latches on.
Greed ranges in many areas, but the industrial era theme has been prevalent for a while, including many 'typical' mafioso infested districts and cities. A great mix of crime, industrialism and wanton abandon to the mighty dollar. You'd think all of its water is deadly, but it is just most of it.
Lust, with pleasure demons, specially Succuby, has a general 'red light district', 'escort business' and general debauchery kinda vibe to it. The culture within varies greatly from city to city and town to town, although the late XX to early XXI century is common. But you can as easily find yourself in a medieval Japanese themed section of the Ring, so long as you are interested in the archetypical Geisha (both for company and talking and, yes, those of a more 'contact' based nature).
Envy is the biggest suburbanite focused Ring of all. With the fish demons, the Possessors, guided by Leviatan being majority and finding either above water or underwater themes to be perfect to showcase they have what all others may desire. This also means they may indulge in any theme that allows them to show they are hot shit, so you can find a futuristic suburb here or a medieval castle there. Also: a lot of snobs.
Sloth is full of purple, decadence, games and medical centers. You want a ring focused on the gaming culture of Earth? This is the place. You want somewhere where medicine also claims a good chunk of the theme? Come here. Just don't hope for any activity that requires, well, activity. Eras or periods of hard labor hardly find fans in Sloth.
Lilith tries, to this day, to make Hell its own unique gem, not just a raptor that comes and snatches either still writhing meat or old carcasses of cultures long dead. However, as milenia come and go the singing queen of Hell relegated that desire to a possible future. For now she is content to see Hell thrive, as much as it can anyways, supported by her husband in that desire to one day make Hell shine so bright that Heaven's own light would dim.
In a way a terrifying thought like no other. Hell ascendant with not even Heaven able to stop it.
In another… A spark of hope and a dream to fight for. Wayward souls and spawn from Hell taking control of their own reins.