Ah yes, I remember over a year ago where I made a rant about how toxic the ship Catradora is. I was new to the She-Ra fandom at the time (only watched the show for Entrapdak), impressionable, and was easily able to be gaslit by the fandoms and it's creators about how healthy Catradora is. It wasn't until I watched a video revolving around the abuse dynamic between both Catra and Adora that I was able to snap out of my trance and actually see the major red flags of the relationship.

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     Why exactly am I making (yet another) rant about Catradora? Well I decided to rewatch the show again just to see if I missed anything out on my last rant..AND OH BOY DID I MISS OUT ON A LOT OF GLARING RED FLAGS. Let's get started with the rant!

1) Catra emotionally, verbally, and physically abused Adora

• Emotional abuse
     Throughout the entirety of the show, Catra   always set unrealistic expectations for Adora, rather it be her making unreasonable demands, expecting Adora to instantly put everything aside to satisfy her needs, or continuously get dissatisfied no matter how much love and support Adora gives her. Catra also invalidates Adora's feelings and continuously ignores Adora's requests, wants, and needs, seeding them as 'ridiculous' or 'unmerited'.

     Catra isn't afraid to use emotional blackmail if it means she gets to control Adora by making it feel like everything is all her fault. She uses Adora's fears, values, compassion, or her friends to control Adora (or when the situation ((like a fight)) doesn't go her way). Catra also exaggerates Adora's flaws or points Adora's flaws out in order to deflect attention or to avoid taking responsibility for her poor choices or mistakes. Catra will also denies that an event has took place or will lie about it to make it seem like she's the victim.

     Catra also acts like she is superior to Adora, constantly treating her like she's inferior and blaming Adora for her (Catra's) mistakes. Catra will also doubt anything Adora says and will continue to do so in an attempt to prove Adora wrong. Catra also talks down to Adora and uses sarcasm as a way to make Adora either hesitate or feel guilty. Throughout the show, Catra always acted like she's always right, that Adora is always wrong, and that she knows what's best for Adora when in reality she doesn't.

     Catra continuously controls and isolates Adora from her loved ones, treating her like a possession or property throughout seasons 1-4.

• Physical Abuse
     Catra....

• Kidnapped Adora
• Scratched Adora
• Shoved Adora
• Kicked Adora
• Slapped Adora
• Uses weapons on Adora
• Physically restrains Adora
• Attempted to murder Adora multiple times throughout the show

• Verbal Abuse
     Multiple times throughout the show, Catra always yelled at Adora, belittling her for the smallest of things.

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     Noticed how a good bit of these moments involved Adora? Just keep that in mind as I continue on my rant.

2) Catra changed for the better

     No, she really didn't. It doesn't matter if she saved the world, Catra still demonstrated abusive tactics throughout the entirety of season five. She guilt-tripped Adora and framed her to be the aggressive one in their arguments when in reality it was the complete opposite. In the final episode, Catra said "Just this once, stay!" — acting like Adora is neglectful and continuously abandons Catra (which again is just Catra projecting onto Adora).

     Belittling someone and calling them an idiot is abusive. Adora always internalized Catra's comment about her being an idiot, which in return lowered Adora's self esteem to the point where she continuously believes that she is an idiot, even after being told multiple times and proven that she isn't. Fun fact: Catra also called Adora an 'idiot' after her confession.

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     Also how many times has Catra ever complimented Adora? Come on, I'm waiting...

3) Catra has been abusive since they were kids.

     Sadly, Catra and Adora's dynamic has been the same since they were children (more specifically since they were around five years old); Adora always gives something up, Catra takes and continues to ask for more. Nothing else has changed about the dynamic, and it will continue to stay that way throughout the entirety of the show.

"But Kurogiri, children can't be abusive!"

     Unfortunately they can. Becoming an abuser can happen at any age or any period throughout your life, even when you're a kid you can still become an abuser. It normally stems from them being abused themselves as a child, but being abusive can also come from mental illnesses or them developing unhealthy habits and idas.

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[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

     Catra has been abused by Shadow Weaver her entire life. Even after death Shadow Weaver's influence still effects Catra and her actions. Regardless, this still isn't an excuse for how Catra treated everyone around her (more specifically Adora), but it still gives you some insight on how she grew up and became an abuser herself.

Conclusion

     Catradora is...

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     And I'm glad that more people are becoming aware on just how toxic this relationship is. This ship isn't (and will never be) healthy in any way, shape, or form. From physical abuse to mental abuse, Catradora has been a toxic waste pool of a ship from start to finish.

     People tend to gloss over all the glaring red flags in favor of the LGBTQ+ representation Catradora gives to the community. It's not good representation, it's not a good look for our community as a whole, and it's not good exposure for youth to be able to see this and think this is what a relationship should be like.

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     There's sixteen whole minutes of the show dedicated to Catra abusing Adora in every way she can. How is this considered to be good LGBTQ+ representation? I'm interested to hear your opinions on this.

     Goodbye!