Emperor's new clothes

Out of all the fairy tale characters that one can think of on the top of their heads, most people would remember the fabled Emperor, whose ego and vanity eventually led him to his utter embarrassment. Or so we were told, at least. But that's only half of the tale. The author Hans Christian Andersen was quite the writer, you see... he was not afraid to tell fairy tales with a twist ending that could do any screen-writer proud. The Disney version really doesn't do the original folk tales justice. In the original tale, the Emperor did not run away and hide or become embarrassed beyond imagination when the little child cried out that the Emperor was naked. That was the cleaned-up version. In the original version, the Emperor kept walking down the procession, baring it all, in front of all the townspeople regardless of what the little child had just blurted out. 

And you can't get away with doing something like that without a little bit of megalomania. 

Artist Note: 
1. Completed over 2 days. Pencil and Pigma markers (ranging from 1.0 to 0.2 mm). 
2. Scanned and contrast corrected by PS4. 
3. Strathmore Drawing Paper, Series 300, 70lbs (114gsm)
4. Produced for  and its "Longest Night" contest campaign. More information here:  the Longest Night: Seven o'ClockThe ticking clock heralds the passing of time. 
Endless, monotonous minutes creep through the hallways of the mind and the labyrinth of the soul where men are left to face himself and his irresistible compulsions. These unspoken forces drive our deepest desires and fuel our most profound fears. We are powerless in front of them, just as we are powerless in the face of the march of time. 
Do you hear it?
They call for you in the midnight hour, whispering in your mind’s ears the most secret of secrets. 
Do you see it?
They appear to you from the corner of your eye, beckoning you to follow them down the rabbit hole.
The clock chimes. It’s time to listen up and follow suit. Will you come seek us in the darkened rooms filled with echoes of the past? Will you dance with us under the garish mercury moon? Will take our hands and join us through the Longest Night?
Welcome to the “Longest Night” Challenges where we explore men
P.S. I'm a judge! So I can't actually win this contest. But please join in. And if you like what I do... I offer a commission as a prize to the first place winner.