Sure, the most obvious option is to take the standard contract, but as many of us have learned the hard way, the standard contract isn’t usually the best deal you can get.

A man (it’s almost always a man) becomes a powerful magician (or later, a scientist) and creates something that looks almost human. Then it all goes wrong.

Steampunk is frequently associated with the Victorian and Edwardian periods of British and world history lasting roughly from 1837, when Queen Victoria took the throne, through the end of World War I.

At present, when one hears the word “unicorn,” the associations are obvious: a horned white horse, representing purity; a similarly chaste and pristine young woman; a series of single entendres.

In recent years, automatons have seen a surge in popularity, from steampunk contraptions to mecha. But this interest is hardly new.