Imagine Link’s delight when venturing through the Snowpeak Ruins and coming across a friendly couple of yetis — Yeto and Yeta — who not only allow him to explore the ruins, but even offer him a portion of their nourishing soup. We can all relate to this aspect of Link’s adventuring: when working, we often do not have the time to sit down and eat. We need a meal on the go to keep us energized, whether that’s a quick energy bar, smoothie, or — in Link’s case — a good old bottle of soup.
This delightful moment for Link is depicted in a simplistic yet charming piece of fan art by artist taneme. In it, we see both Yeto and Link looking eagerly into the soup pot in Yeto’s kitchen, which is steadily cooking away and no doubt filling the chilly room with a warm and mouth-watering aroma of Ordon Pumpkin. Or, it might be filling it with a pungent scent of Ordon Goat Cheese or Reekfish, depending on which ingredient Link offered in exchange for a scoop of the soup.
I really love the style of this piece. It leans towards the cartoony side, but the line work and shading gives it so much personality and depth despite being two-dimensional. The light of the fire under the pot casts shadows onto Link and Yeto and all around the kitchen, and as they stand in this aura of warmth, we feel the same coziness you’d find emanating from a fireplace on a cold and wintry night.
With Link and Yeto looking as friendly and happy as they do, this piece honestly feels like it could come straight out of a children’s storybook. Just imagine it: Link is on one of his adventures and comes across the mansion of a peaceful Yeti couple, who have invited him in for a meal. But the moral is that nothing is for free! Link finds himself running up and down the ruins trying to find the right ingredients for Yeto’s soup, then he can have his share. What would this story be called, I wonder? “Link’s Adventure with the Friendly Yeti”? “The Yeti’s Yummy Soup”?
In any case, seeing this piece cast me back to one of the more chilled (pun intended) dungeons in Twilight Princess. It reminded me of the charming yetis who aided Link on his quest by offering hospitality (Yeta’s mirror-obsessed mood swings aside) and an endless supply of life-giving soup.
