SnowBarry Fanfiction: Will This Really Happen?

Fans of the popular series "The Flash," airing on the CW since 2014, are divided on the many romantic linkups of the male lead Barry Allen (The Flash) and the female characters on the show Caitlin Snow and Iris West.

SnowBarry (Cailin Snow/Barry Allen) and WestAllen (Barry Allen/Iris West) are the two sides of the war, with each side having vociferous supporters who would like to see their pairing succeed. Though the producers seem to be enjoying the war more than the eventual romance itself, for now, SnowBarry fans are hoping that the endgame will be in their favor!

1. Why Does SnowBarry Make the Perfect Match?

Fans of the SnowBarry ship have been hoping for Barry to finally realize that his feelings for Caitlin are more than just those of a friend forever. There are several reasons why fans see this pairing as the endgame for The Flash series.

1.1 Barry and Caitlin's Similarities

Right from the beginning of The Flash SnowBarry has always been a great friendship. This is simply because Caitlin and Barry have a lot in common:

• They are both metahumans with superpowers.
• They are both interested in science and appreciate the science behind whatever happens in the show.
• They were both in romantic relationships that didn't work out well at the beginning of the show.
• They both like to wear the same types of clothes (same colors, understated and neutral tones).

1.2 Caitlin and Barry Support Each Other

Flash SnowBarry has been a popular idea ever since season 1. Both Barry and Caitlin had come out of a bad relationship at the time and helped each other move on from there. They have always been very supportive of each other, and Caitlin has always helped Barry out of the hole whenever he is down or depressed about his life. The two have a very sweet and innocent vibe to their relationship.

1.3 Iris Doesn't Appreciate Barry

Another reason why fans think that for Flash, SnowBarry endgame is the more likely outcome is that the current WestAllen pairing is just too clunky. While Barry married Iris West in Season 4 and they have been in the relationship since then, there are many instances where Iris does not show appreciation for Barry:

• She does not appreciate Barry's jokes throughout the show.
• She doesn't understand or want to talk about the science stuff that both Barry and Snow are so fond of.
• She had no interest in Barry until she found out that he was The Flash.

1.4 Iris Is a Bad Influence on Barry

Fans also complained that Iris brings out the bad side of Barry all the time. For example. Barry convinced Caitlin against her wish to save Iris even though she was afraid to do it. He could have easily done it himself by using his super speed, but he ended up putting Caitlin at risk.

1.5 Iris/Barry Step Sister Controversy

While Iris and Barry are technically just foster siblings, many shippers on the SnowBarry side of the debate have pointed out that this relationship is a bit icky! Iris and Joe have both pointed out that Barry used to live in their house just like a brother, so in a way, they lived like brothers and sisters for eleven long years.

While none of these characters have actually used the words brother and sister for each other, it's still somewhat of a gross situation to be in.

1.6 Character Development

Fans have expressed that Barry's character is a bit of a loser who is fixated on the girls who are near him or have been near him rather than looking outwards and finding love elsewhere (Iris is a case in point).

From a character development point of view, SnowBarry would be a great idea for Barry to realize that there are other women in the world, and he could try having a relationship outside his comfort zone for once.

2. SnowBarry: The WestAllen View

Now, in the spirit of being completely fair, we are not here to take sides, and we want to present both points of view. The WestAllen view of the show has some solid points as well:

2.1 WestAllen Is Interracial

The idea that only a white girl can be a romantic lead is somewhat of an unwritten rule in Hollywood. There are extremely few cases when the non-white female lead gets the central romantic character role, which is why WestAllen (Iris West/Barry Allen) is something that needed to happen, and it is kudos to the writers and producers of the show that they stuck to their guns instead of giving in to the SnowBarry fandom brigades fantasies.

2.2 SnowBarry Never Happened and Will Never Happen

Come on; it's enough already! SnowBarry never happened; Barry and Snow were never romantically linked, whereas Iris and Barry have been having this relationship for seven years. Their marriage happened in Season 4, and even though there were problems in the marriage, they renewed their vows in the Season 7 finale.

At their wedding, it was even suggested in the show that there was a future child that had come to visit them, and if so, then it completely closes the chapter on SnowBarry.

If there ever was going to be a SnowBarry, it would have happened by now. Secondly, Barry has time and again been single on the show but has never looked at Caitlin in a romantic role, despite whatever SnowBarry fans might have imagined in their dreams.

2.3 A Boy and Girl Can Be Friends

The whole Caitlin and Barry vibe has always been a deep and strong friendship vibe. They are there for each other in hard times; they look out for each other, they have much in common. But it has never been the spicy, sugar, and spice vibe of romantic partners.

Perhaps the reason why SnowBarry fans are adamant about their shipping is that they want to perpetuate the old notion that a boy and girl can never be just good friends, but that's not what the Flash is all about. The show always has busted stereotypes, and the writers need to be credited for keeping this friendship pristine despite immense pressure from the SnowBarry camp.

3. Did SnowBarry Kiss?

In an episode aired in Apr '15, SnowBarry finally kissed each other, a moment that many SnowBarry shippers were waiting for. Unfortunately, the kiss wasn't between the real Barry and Snow.

A shapeshifter named Everyman had taken the shape of Barry and was convinced that there was something going on between Barry and Caitlin. He decided to plant a kiss on Caitlin, which to everyone's surprise (and to the glee of SnowBarry shippers), Caitlin responded back to on the second attempt.

However, before anything could happen further, Barry's wife Iris interrupted, and later when Caitlin found out it was Everyman, and not Barry, who put the moves on her, her reaction was, "Oh, thank god!".

SnowBarry The Flash was, till then, just a fanfiction, and this was probably the producer's and writers' attempt to test out the idea of SnowBarry. If that's the case, then perhaps the audience reaction wasn't strong enough because the storyline diverged with both Barry and Caitlin pursuing other romantic relationships since then.

However, whatever may have been the audience reaction, and no matter which side of the shipping battle you are on, SnowBarry kissing was certainly a cute moment!

There were even more repercussions of the kiss in the storyline. For example, when Barry eventually reunites with his team, Caitlin avoids him for some time ("No need for a hug"). This complicated things a lot since Caitlin did actually respond to the kiss, so what changed between then and later? Was it the thought of Iris and Barry and Caitlin becoming a homewrecker? Or did Caitlin have second thoughts and decide that she actually didn't like Barry in the first place?

There was also the question of Snow being sexually harassed by a shapeshifter, but that's a whole different discussion that warrants a blog of its own!

4. SnowBarry Fanfiction Is Prevailing

The SnowBarry and WestAllen Fanfiction universe has spanned the internet like anything. Stories abound on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net, especially for SnowBarry (perhaps because it has never materialized on the actual show).

Here are two of our favorite stories with a short summary.

& If It Never Ends then When Do We Start, by @ttinycourageous​

Barry and Caitlin come together as part of a spy adventure where Barry's the spy, and Caitlin is the scientist back at the lab, giving him all that he needs in terms of gadgets and resources. A romance develops over a long time, especially since Barry is very persistent in his pursuit.

The story is told in a very un-spy-like manner; it is very understated and grounded. The characters and their romance is developed slowly like a steak simmering over a slow wood fire.

at first sight, by @tinytendril

The college version of Pride and Prejudice for SnowBarry fans. This setting and pairing are extremely apt for these two because it builds the characters and even the rest of the whole cast of the Flash perfectly into the various roles of the classic.

Barry starts out hating everything about the rich and snooty who live in Central City, but then he slowly falls in love with a sweet and innocent Caitlin, who belongs to the very vortex of inanity that is the rich and famous.

here is my heart (your love is everything I need), by @roastytoastyprincesss

This is one of our favorite romance fanfics because of the consistent will they-won't they theme that borrows from the show itself. At every opportunity when the two could get together, their luck finds a way to destroy the chance.

And when finally they do meet, it is in a scenario where almost nothing could be done about it. There are misunderstandings galore in this one and a lot of angst in the relationship, which mirrors the way the SnowBarry story has built up in the actual show itself.

5. What Is the Best Way to Watch the Flash?

The Flash (all seven seasons) is being streamed on the CW, a popular VOD streaming channel whose app you can download on your laptop or your mobile. But if you want the real pleasure of watching all the seasons and the romance between SnowBarry develop without interruptions, the best place to watch it would be StreamFab CW Downloader.

This is a great software that lets you download the entire show in one go - all seasons. That too in MP4 format, with high quality (1080p HD) video and audio! You can download one episode or the entire show in one go; it's your choice.

Once you download, there are no hassles of organizing the files because the downloader also gets you the entire metadata of the files, including season names, episode names, and of course, cast and crew members. You can organize your media library and even download the whole show and burn it on a Blu-ray to get the most out of your favorite show.

But that's not all! If you want to download the subtitles, you can do so, and that too in the language of your choice! And unlike other downloaders, you don't have to copy those URLs and paste them in a separate browser to download the episodes- StreamFab has its own browser where you can watch and download all the shows on the CW.

To summarize…

Whether you are in the SnowBarry camp or the WestAllen camp, there is no denying you are a fan of The Flash series and all the characters in it. In this writeup, we have tried to take a neutral tone and keep things equally poised on both sides of the het ship.

The best thing you can do is to get yourself the StreamFab CW Downloader, start downloading all the seasons and watch the show and the romances develop in real-time. Now, what could be better than that!