Barry Allen/Leonard Snart/Iris West
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Barry Allen/Leonard Snart/Iris West |
| Alternative name(s): | Coldwestallen |
| Gender category: | Threesome, M/M/F |
| Fandom: | The Flash (CW) (Arrowverse) |
| Canonical?: | non-canon |
| Prevalence: | |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Barry/Leonard/Iris is a threesome pairing of Barry Allen (Flash), his canonical love interest Iris West and antagonist Leonard Snart (Captain Cold) in the CW's The Flash fandom.
Canon
On The Flash (CW), all three characters only shared screen time twice. During episode 2x09 Running to Stand Still when Leonard Snart came to the West residence to warn Barry Allen about Weather Wizard's and Trickster's plan to kill the Flash, Snart exchanged semi-hostile banter with both Barry and Iris, acknowledging that he was reading and enjoying Iris's journalistic output.
In episode 3x22 Infantino Street, after Snart had already died in the present, Barry travelled back in time to enlist the help of a past version of Snart in order to help him break into A.R.G.U.S. and steal a weapon to help save Iris's life from Savitar. Uncharacteristically, Snart didn't ask for anything in exchange for his help. Iris and Barry both emphasised that they trusted him, regardless of their past encounters.
Fandom
The threesome pairing of Barry Allen, Iris West and Leonard Snart is known by the name smoosh Coldwestallen. For many shippers, it branches off the popular Barry Allen/Leonard Snart (Coldflash) pairing by acknowledging and not wanting to break up Barry's canonical relationship and marriage with Iris. Some Coldwestallen fanfiction however also focuses on the Leonard Snart/Iris West (Coldwest) angle of the threesome instead, exploring their similarities despite their differences in morals.
It's the second most popular threesome ship in The Flash (CW) fandom, after Barry Allen/Mick Rory/Leonard Snart (Coldflashwave).
The pairing also appears in the Legends of Tomorrow section of the fandom.
Common Tropes
Many Coldwestallen works build off relationship dynamics found in Coldflash fanworks, which is not surprising given that many Coldwestallen writers and creators are also actively creating works for Coldflash. There is often a nod to Cold's obsession with the Flash and/or Barry Allen's crush on Leonard Snart. Almost all Coldwestallen works are set after Barry and Iris get together, and Iris is often aware of Barry's soft spot for Len, or is not surprised by his attraction to Len.
A lot of the fanfictions are Canon Divergence AUs or Fix-it fics, assuming Snart's death on Legends of Tomorrow never happened or having him come to life afterwards. Iris may have supported Barry while he grieved Len's death, and become aware of Barry's feelings for Len during this time.
The narrative hurdle for writers attempting to get this polyship together is often Iris/Len. Westallen is canon and the most popular het pairing in the fandom. Coldflash also has a wealth of agreed fanon for writers to draw upon, as the most popular ship in the fandom. Meanwhile Coldwest is a rarepair and the two characters have barely interacted in canon.
There are several works that build on Leonard's interest in Iris's journalism work. In a small number of works, Len has been following Iris's work since her blog about the Flash, and they may form a friendship around their shared interest in the Flash. In this way, Len and Iris may know one another before either of them know that Barry Allen is the Flash. In others, Iris may bump into Len while investigating an article.
There is also more than one work using the Fuck or Die trope to bring this threesome together. In these works, it's usually either Barry or Iris who must have sex with Len, and the fallout from the fuck or die scenario results in much angst for Westallen, before an eventual Coldwestallen ending.
Challenges
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
- But Needs Must as the Devil Drives by RedHead, It’s just Len’s luck that magic is real. It’s just Barry’s luck that he got himself cursed. It’s just Iris’s luck that both of these idiots never do anything the easy way. (Fuck or Die) (as of Aug 20th 2020, this is the longest fic on AO3, as well as the one with the most hits, kudos and comments)
- Cold Truth by Katyakora, Christmas may have been the first time they met, but Iris has known Leonard Snart a lot longer than she thought. (first long fic posted on AO3)
- Did You Miss Me (While You Were Looking For Yourself Out There) by SophiaCatherine, Len is understandably freaked out when he returns from the dead. He asks the Flash and his wife for some help adjusting to weird new powers, but didn't expect to fall for them in the process...
- I Don't See an Easy Way to Get out of This by asexual-fandom-queen, Iris and Leonard go to unspeakable lengths to stay alive. Barry gets caught in the fallout, and it's a beautiful disaster. (Fuck or Die)
- I'm Covered in the Colours (Pulled Apart at the Seams) by asexual-fandom-queen, It’s a common misconception that people can only see in black and white until they meet their soulmate. When Barry Allen is born, he's only able to see the colour red. When he meets Iris West in Kindergarten, she gives him yellow. When he meets Leonard Snart thwarting an armoured car robbery, he gives him blue. (Soulmates)
- That Old Switcheroo by Sandrine Shaw, Perhaps 'What would Barry do?' is not always the best approach, at least not when it comes to Captain Cold. (Bodyswap)
- Throw Away the Plan by Sandrine Shaw, "Care to explain why everyone thinks I'm some friendly, touchy-feely guy who goes by 'Leo'?" Leonard asks Mick, unable to keep the annoyance out of his tone.
- unforeseen obstacles by barrylen, With Leonard Snart alive and back in Central City, Nora makes it her personal mission to set him up with her parents. Leonard makes everything a little more complicated than it has to be.
Fanart
- Sweet Semplicity by cherryontop
Fanmix
- Live, again (again) by Purpleyin
Archives & Fannish Links
- Barry/Leonard/Iris works in FFN
- Barry Allen/Leonard Snart/Iris West works at AO3