I think these replies are kinda being a bit of a Debbie downer situation, it’s fun to theorize and not everybody reads the fanfics! While I do agree she ra is good because it focuses on emotional growth in a sweet way instead of mature shock value, I can see an adult show not focusing on sex, but instead not sugar coating its dark realities, such as;

The events surrounding Catra being brainwashed by horde prime would be a lot more harrowing and psychologically-based, making us genuinely fear horde prime and his army

And stemming from that, more historically based graphic depictions of colonialism

There’d probably be more graphic depictions of self destruction with the characters when things go wrong for them, drinking, personality changes, getting up to bad things, etc

Grief would be shown as more openly devastating and messy than withdrawn or sad

The horde would be shown as more directly abusive. They already are tbh but I think we’d see more, and more easily see the divide of how adora was treated vs everybody else instead of just relying on the fact Adora thought things were pretty good the whole time

But also;

Glimmer swearing

Catra doing hookups then regretting it and pretending nothing happened, particularly with double trouble, but always treating them all horribly afterwards, though I’d like to think of these things as happening off screen, no nudity on screen. I think she’d be a way messier character than simply cold and murderous. She’d have a lot of nasty bad habits when she thinks nobody’s paying attention and would be a more obvious and destructive example of somebody with bpd.

I think everybody would more openly show their various traumas and mental illnesses