#linstead vs upstead

[imjustwritingg]

not me getting into the depths of linstead vs. upstead and trasse vs. sophia/jesse - what are your thoughts on both the onscreen vs. offscreen JLS couples?

This is one of those questions that feels a little too much like a trap, so I’m gonna pass on this one.

[karihighman]

Not me realizing Jesse & Sophia did a similar (almost exact really, theirs was with Brian Tee I wanna say though) photo to the one Tracy & Jesse took on set of season 5 w/the 🤨🤨 expressions wow where have I been lol

[hangmanshoney]

So after A LOT of binge-watching and a little avoidance of reaching the end of season 4, tonight I finally watched season 4 episode 23 closely followed by season 5 episode 1, and I guess you could say my heart is broken? (All you OG Chicago pd / Linstead fans I FEEL your pain now, like I get it, my heart HURTS).

I think I was so apprehensive to watch these episodes until now because I’ve seen gifs & clips & obviously knew about Sophia leaving (still not over this but SO happy she’s happier now!!). But I gotta say that watching them, especially one after the other, KNOWING how it was gonna go down & seeing Jay so quietly distraught, seriously left me with like this sinking feeling in my stomach? And I swear to god I don’t know how it happened, but I am SO attached to these characters & this show now and I just😩😭.

But, BUT! Then there’s the addition of Hailey to the unit, which is something I’ve been dying to see because the first time I really started getting into Chicago pd was because I somehow ended up watching a couple of season 7 eps after being intrigued by the replays of old law & order svu / Chicago pd crossovers from a couple of years back. And I’ve kinda felt myself starting to get attached to her the way I did to Erin, the more I watch fan edits & clips etc.

So now I’m torn, so completely TORN because I miss Linstead & they will forever have a piece of my heart, but I’m also SO EXCITED to finally see the beginnings & growth of upstead.

Basically I just can’t tonight okay? Tonight has literally been like an emotional rollercoaster, it’s ridiculous😂.

But on the bright side I’ve even got my mom interested / slightly invested in Chicago pd now. She’s currently diehard Linstead (I mean me too, but what’s new?😂) so ima have to try and get her to accept that Hailey’s good for Jay too and eventually she’ll love upstead as much as me😂.

Okay seriously, I’m done with the rants / spams for the night now. I need sleep😂.

[carolina-skies]

also??? with the news of Jesse leaving CPD, I feel like there's gonna be a LOT of Upstead vs. Linstead discourse rising back up and i'm,,, not here for it okay

like its okay to have your differences in opinions on ships in a show, that's totally okay. but the second y'all start shittin on each other, i stg.

[anniesardors]

Hey, I am new to this show and wanted to ask a question that has been bothering me for some time, however been scared to ask as really don't want to cause you any drama. I love Tracy, but see she gets lots of really unnecessary hate online which makes me really sad. The hate seems to make no sense either, as seems to be a confused combination of you are not Sophia, Jesse looks miserable and Upstead lacks chemistry. So is this just a simple case of people using actors names when they mean the characters names or are they suggesting that the actors are together IRL but Sophia made Jeese happier? Some of the comments seemed to suggest the latter. All the hate is awful, but if they are actually attacking and comparing their real relationship to his ex, that's just sick. Thanks for your help and for introducing me to this show.

Hey anon! Welcome to the fandom! We are so happy to have you!

I know that not everyone wants to read about the fandom drama, so I have included the full answer under “Keep Reading.” Feel free to skip this post if it’s not for you :) 

Sadly, there has been some drama and it comes from a few things: 

Some of it stems from people shipping Linstead vs. Upstead. There’s a small section of people who are upset with how Linsday left and how Linstead ended and don’t like Hailey’s character and upstead because of this. So, a lot of times people will make comparisons between the two ships and say that Upstead lacks chemistry or other negative comments. 

There are some fans who are mad that Sophia left and they see Tracy as a “replacement,” resulting in online hate. 

Sophia and Jesse were also dating in real life so people will also sometimes claim that “Sophia made Jesse happier” but it’s like comparing apples and oranges because 1. Jesse and Tracy are just friends and 2. they are different people with a different relationship at a different point in their lives. But people sadly use Jesse and Sophia’s previous relationship as an argument that things were better in previous seasons. 

All of this often results in a comparison between Hailey and Erin, comparisons between Sophia and Tracy, comparisons between Upstead and Linstead and sadly, many direct attacks on Tracy. People are free to like whatever characters they want and ship whoever they would like, but it becomes an issue when the comments become directed at actors. 

Honestly, it comes down to a respect thing. There should be respect for Sophia and her decision to leave the show. There should be respect for her and Jesse’s history and fans should not continue to bring it up. There also needs to be respect for Tracy who is just doing her job by coming onto this show and playing this character. You can ship whoever you want and like or dislike any characters you please, but there is a need for respect for other fans who have differing opinions and there most certainly is a need for respect of actors who are literally just doing their job. The actors have no say in who stays on the show and who leaves and they don’t get a say in storylines.

Anon, I really am sorry that you have seem so much hate and negative comments, but I promise you that is not the whole fandom. I have met so many phenomenal people through this fandom that I love so so much. Please don’t let a few bitter people ruin this experience for you! There is nothing wrong with blocking or unfollowing the people who cause this to be a negative experience for you! I hope you find the lovely people in this fandom and enjoy your experience here! We are so happy to have you! 

[fighterkimburgess]

y’all forgot about linstead vs upstead, let’s talk female friendships. i feel like kim and erin had a way better friendship then hailey and kim ever had, and i feel like part of it is cause of adam? erin and kim were never into the same guy so their friendship felt more real

I’m not sure how much of it is because of Adam, but Erin and Kim definitely had a closer friendship. For sure.

I think part of it is when Hailey joined the unit Kim was on furlough, and for what we know her first case back was 5x01. Hailey was already bedded into the unit when Kim came back, and Kim had her own friendships. They did agree to go for dinner in 5x11, but we didn’t see a lot.

And then upzek happened, and I don’t blame Kim for being pissed at either of them. Yeah she and Adam weren’t anything, but finding out your ex is dating your friend by walking in on them is Definitely A Mood. And then having to go undercover with said ex? Yeah, I get it from her perspective.

I wish they had a better friendship, and we kind of see traces of it in s8. In 8x11, when Kim puts her hand on Haileys forearm to comfort her when they talk about families. In 8x16, because the line “someone we love is missing” is burned into my brain. She could have said “someone you love” because she was talking to Adam and Kevin and they both love Kim, but she said we. She obviously cares a lot about her.

I think their relationship falls to so much of what this show fails on, which is the writers seem to only be interested in sad stories. People who are dealing with bad things but have strong relationships don’t seem to be something they particularly enjoy, and honestly? That sucks. It could have been a gorgeous friendship.

And now Hailey’s hiding that Walton’s dead from Kim, and I’m wondering where this is going to go.

[anna-justice]

so i was on a retreat for the last 4 days (covid safe), and i tried to keep myself away from all social media while there. getting back onto to everything this morning was crazy.

i know by posting this here i am really preaching to the choir, but i am so frustrated. laroyce’s comment put me over the edge.

1) sophia bush chose to leave CPD. she wasn’t happy and she wanted to move on. she doesn’t deserve to be pulled back into a universe she purposefully left because her once love interest is now with someone else. she’s had four years to make peace with the experience, it’s not fair that people keep drudging up the past.

2) jesse lee soffer and sophia bush dated in real life. i cant imagine how hard this is for tracy, with all the hate...but jesse is having to face the music over a real relationship AND an on screen relationship. half the people that are mad about upstead are jophia fans! jesse and sophia have been broken up a long time and again, we shouldn’t be drudging up the past! in addition to that, i’m sure it has put a strain on jesse and tracy’s friendship (which NO ONE wants). i think the upstead side of the fandom has been great about not shipping trasse, but i cant imagine that they don’t feel like people compare them to jophia.

3) TRACY SPIRIDAKOS IS A BEAUTIFUL PERSON AND IT IS NOT HER FAULT THAT JAY KISSED HAILEY. like even taking a step further to say that hailey admited her feelings, but jay kissed her. JAY kissed HER. if people want to be mad at someone, be mad at him!

okay i’m off my soapbox now. but come on, we love these actors and this fandom. if we want to keep it a happy place to work and thrive, we need to do better.

side note: i’ve followed tv show couples since i was old enough to, and for how (relatively) small the one chicago fandom is, there is SO much controversy over ships (mainly dawsey vs brettsey/linstead vs upstead). i mean this is stelena vs delena level stuff! there’s no need!

anyway, have an amazing day 🥰

[ally-writes-many-things]

Linstead vs Upstead Rant

I'm probably gonna lose readers/followers/get attack but I honestly dont give a fuck.

You be rude/mean you'll get blocked.

Under the CPD's tweet about Upstead, I'm seeing hate. Can you Linsteads leave Upstead alone? And its shippers?

I mean come on now. I'm sorry that you didnt get your endgame. I truly am but don't you think Jay deserves happiness no matter who its with?

I'm a Upstead shipper before an Linstead shipper but Hailey left Jay, and Jay got together with Erin, I wouldnt be pissed because I would want Jay to be happy.

Yall got Linstead. Let us have Upstead.

Edit:

I know some Upsteads wont leave Linsteads alone either. I just wish that both fandom would leave each other alone if it's not positive.

[grasshopperjay]

You say that familiarity is the reason you can’t behind upstead and you’ve also stated time and time again that you think upstead is too similar to linstead. But I don’t get it, they’re polar opposites. Linstead got together after barely a season while upstead had a proper slowburn. Erin had no regard for Jay’s feelings and treated it as HER relationship, where Hailey has ALWAYS been there for Jay despite even her own needs sometimes. It’s cool if you don’t like them but the comparison makes 0 sense.

oh my gosh.

i don’t mind explaining myself when someone asks the first time. i have provided my thoughts, and you should be able to accept and move on from that.

the entire reason that there is beef between people who ship vs people who don’t ship upstead is because the other side can never just accept that not everyone agrees with them.

i don’t go into upstead shippers inboxes giving them grief for not seeing my side, because it’s pointless. i’m not going to change your mind and you’re not going to change my mind.

i don’t ship upstead. for multiple reasons. one that i choose to not mention because i know it will fire people up is that i’m not the biggest fan of haileys character, i just don’t like them together, and i don’t see the chemistry. plain and simple.

i wasn’t even talking about upstead to begin with, i was talking about not speculating about tracy and jesse. the two are completely unrelated.

can anons please stop sending me upstead asks now? i’m tired of explaainnninggggg

[thebookreader12345]

Whoever sent the asks about comparing ships (Linstead vs. Upstead), was that for me to answer now or for the Q&A?

[puckluck28]

You know what would be amazing but we definitely won’t get it? If Jay actually acknowledged his romantic past and how he has grown from it. Like if he said something along the lines of “I thought I was in love with Erin but loving you showed me I didn’t even know what being in love was back then.” OR if they don't want to mention Erin, “I thought I knew what being in love was before but loving you has showed me I didn’t even know what being in love was until now.” Can Hollywood please normalize couples having healthy conversations about old relationships and acknowledging their growth? Why is that so hard?

Plus, it would be a great way for the show to subtly stand up for Tracy in this ridiculous Linstead vs. Upstead fight (which make no sense btw since the two ships have NEVER coexisted and WILL NEVER coexist) We all know they know what's happening, and lowkey it drives me insane that they can't take 30 seconds on the show to take a stance on the solidity of Upstead and that certain people and ships are LOOOOONNNNGGGG in the PAST, but then again, we are still waiting to hear what happened to Vanessa so fanfic will have to do for now *sigh*

I’m about to say something controversial that I know will set off a certain corner of the fandom, but I’m gonna say it anyway. If Erin stayed on the show and Hailey still joined intelligence, I feel Jay and Hailey still would have fallen in love.

I actually am in complete agreement with you Anon. Hailey is good for Jay. They make each other better...as cops, as people. I think they would have gotten together regardless.

[karihighman]

Hailey Upton / Tracy Spiridakos appreciation post: Thank you Chicago PD, for having Tracy come onto the show, because her character has truly been a breath of fresh air. Hailey is strong, but also vulnerable, and very focused on how she can help - not only victims but also her team. Tracy plays up all these sides to Hailey with such versatility that really adds to genuine effect of the character. I just wanted to come on here & say that, because Tracy doesn't get enough credit, and her character Hailey sadly gets a lot of uncalled for hate. Let me make this clear: I respect Sophia Bush, and I loved the time she spent on CPD as Erin Lindsay. She made up one half of Linstead, which was my favorite relationship of PD. But I honestly feel like Tracy reinvigorated the show - brought a new light to it. A different aura. And that's okay. That's okay to like both actresses and both characters. Nowhere am I saying one is better than or less than the other - because that's not a comparison that should be made (in my opinion). As far as the whole Linstead vs. Upstead thing, I'll say this: I loved Linstead and thought no one could replace them. But I've never been happier to be wrong. Because Hailey and Jay's partnership (whether it leads to a romantic relationship or stays platonic) - has been so interesting to watch. They've both grown together while also growing individually. Hailey helped him realize he needed help for his PTSD. Jay has finally opened up to her more & let her in. Whether that's just in friendship or in a romantic way, you can't deny that both Jesse and Tracy work really well together (I stan a supportive cast!); and that their characters play off each other nicely. Okay, that's all *mic drop; steps down off of soap box* thanks for coming to my TED talk. 🙂

[hart-kinsella]

No I meant more of the upstead vs linstead. But that would make sense. I’m not bothered by his real life relationship, just his tv one & how upstead fans are acting with it

I gotta say I’m barely following the whole debate (I don’t read the tweets, etc.), but to me Jesse has always posted about Upstead and him and Tracy bts, so I don’t think he cares and if/when Upstead will become a thing, he will support it. Part of the fandom is crazy and toxic, by the way: I’m only trying to enjoy Upzek and keep all the hate at bay.

[karihighman]

After discussing the whole linstead vs upstead thing on Twitter, I was feeling nostalgic haha

[karihighman]

Same. Here. Also same goes for Upstead vs. Linstead. Oops. 🤷‍♀️😬

(un?)popular opinion: i am more in love with hailey upton as a character in the 3 seasons we’ve had her than i ever was with erin lindsay.

both women are hella badass, fierce detectives. but as characters…hailey has my heart and soul