It’s the end of the world!. . .theoretically. We keep saying that but who knows. . .until then, Archangels Lucifer and Michael might have an idea on what to do about humanity and its constant, impending doom.

Excerpt From ‘Birth of the Anti-Christs’

Author – Jasmine Plaskon

More thrusting. Harder, like a drum being beat upon. Faster, because there’s a lot of chanting that all muddle into the singular word of Queen, again and again and againandagainandagainagainAGAIN. Michael knows if he folds now, what was the point? To prove he was empty of words and lacked conviction? That he didn’t want this more than any who have sinned before him? No. He wanted this more than the entire legion combined, which is why he grits his teeth and ruts his hips back, almost screaming so primal that he was simply (re)birthing himself.

“Yes, that’s fucking it!”

Asmodeus screams back, grabbing all that long, blonde hair so tightly he wound it into his fist like a leash. “Show us who you really are! Show us why you belong!”

And Michael does. He endures every brutal punch to his cervix, stays standing despite his legs trembling. His tanned hands glide through all of his hair and he grips it so hard he makes it his own reins to hold onto; somewhere, in the back of his mind, he sees himself wandering amidst a forest all set ablaze, naked as he is right now, hearing the bark crackle and smelling the wax on the pine needles just melt away.

*

Alive, After Paradise is a multimedia, multiversal Biblical project that started back in July of 2023 by creative neurotic Jasmine Plaskon with one single question in mind: if humanity were to go extinct yet found a way to extract consciousness from the body, could an inorganic being like a cyborg believe in God? The answer is always; since then, Jasmine has gone on to create a whole universe, riffing off of famous works like Dialogues with The Devil and Paradise Lost while also infusing her own spin on what it means to have faith — even if the way she tells it might make a priest blush.

Jasmine Plaskon (she or he) is a Black, queer writer from the grungy, tech addled depths of Seattle with her husband and two dog-gals. Having graduated from Spalding University in 2021 with an MFA in creative writing, Jasmine has made it her whole life mission to write, student debt be damned. She’s been an Events Manager, founded a local showcase for artists, proofread for her friends and edited zines. You’ve seen her on Exhibit B and in magazines like Winter Tangerine. She’s your artist’s favorite artist who’s not afraid to try anything once.

Text © Jasmine Plaskon