IX. The Renaissance, or: Humanity Discovers Muscles, Perspective, and Swag
Eventually Europe looked around and said, "what if we made everything hotter, smarter, and full of marble."
Painters invented perspective and immediately used it to make ceilings look like the heavens were doing parkour.
Sculptors carved stone abs so perfect that actual men began to look disappointing.
Scientists dissected reality with curiosity sharp enough to peel the skin off ignorance.
Inventors filled notebooks with flying machines, war machines, water pumps, and doodles of guys who absolutely should not be trusted with a crossbow.
Printers began stamping ideas onto paper at industrial speed, which meant heresies, recipes, and weird romance pamphlets could now travel.
Rich patrons funded beauty because nothing says "I have money" like commissioning a ceiling that makes strangers cry.
Courtiers wore tights so aggressive they counted as architecture.
Everyone suddenly had opinions about proportion.
Humanity had entered its first full-blown era of looking in the mirror and saying, "honestly, iconic."
The cats approved of the Renaissance because finally someone was painting enough dramatic furniture for proper scheme meetings.