To the untrained eye of a naïve monster filled with wanderlust, taking the paths most noticeable to them, there are only five populated areas of our Underground: the grand capital of New Home; the bustling factories of Hotland, and the newly furbished MTT Resort within; the peaceful marshes of Waterfall; and the forests of Snowdin. Let us put aside for a moment how wrong this statement is and focus on the last of the specified settlements, the wintry little forest of Snowdin. It truly is a testament to these woods that our hypothetical monster friend would even acknowledge its existence at all. Located almost at the opposite side of our New Home (almost, as technically the sealed off Home would truly be its opposite) and keeping to its namesake for being snowy and cold, deterring tourists, the forests of Snowdin are often left forgotten until tragedy, such as the recent Dogastrophe. A shame, since Snowdin features some remarkable tourist areas. There are two mysterious doors, a rather impressive bridge, and to my knowledge the only genuine Ball Game in the Underground. The latter fact should have sent you packing already, but if it hasn't, consider its crowning achievement: the cozy little namesake town. This town of thirty-five has a rustic look that betrays its more modern advances, such as a library, a wonderful bar, and a working transportation system. It even has an inexpensive inn.
During my quest to visit and document all of the reachable settlements in our Underground, I have not stayed at any spot longer than I have at Snowdin, and with this log being my last, I never will. I already hear the cries of favouritism spewing forth, but as I gathered more and more information, and my notes got longer and longer, I realized that they weren't about the town anymore; they were about the people. As such, I have scrambled together my chicken-scratches of the year, arranged them in a semi-presentable order, and now give them to you, dear reader, as I have done countless times before.
A few things I feel I should mention, however, before we should start. Those who are new, please read on, with my swift encouragement on beginning such a splendid book. Otherwise, you may skip ahead. I'm sure you are used to this song and dance by now.
Firstly, on the date. I have intentionally chosen an ambiguous year, that of 211X, not for trickery, but for timelessness. Despite some of the events in this year being very of its time (as you will see in November), I wanted to make clear that this is an average year. An average year has its ups and downs. An average year has tragedies. An average year has triumphs. The year of 211X should be no different in your mind than 2110, 2115, or the year you are living in right now. It is simply a year in your life.
The final thing I should clarify is something I have been questioned and criticized of a fair bit recently, that of my writing style. Indeed, my writings consist primarily of eyewitness accounts otherwise relating to the ongoing events, but may also stem into thoughts unrelated, such as history, psychology, and soulogy. As much as people have reacted against these portions (editor's note: and BOY have we tried to change it. Also, Drop here, can't get rid of me either.), I feel that it is essential to the logs. Although I have always intended my logs to pertain to a loose, narrative feel rather than an uncaring encyclopedia, my "ramblings" will not be cut. My decision for this is twofold: for one, I want my logs to be enjoyed by as many a monster as possible. As long as one knows how to read, they should understand my writings, regardless of their understanding of current and past events. Secondly, I want my logs to live past the memories of monster. Imagine a story written thousands of years ago that assumes the reader knew everything about its 'current' setting! Therefore, I write these logs, the expository passages more specifically, with the idea that knowledge may change based on the period of reading, and the reader themselves.
(This is the Special Edition of Clive Wyrmstroke's Underground Compendium: Snowdin Logs, published three years after the original. As such, it contains a revised introduction and conclusion, with several editor's notes sprinkled in, both from myself and my coeditor, Drop.)