Why calling 2012 RenetAngelo "pedophilia" is problematic
Was I inactive for 2 years here and come back with a rant?
Yes but I NEED to get this off my chest because it really starts to trigger me and I can't stand it anymore.
2012 RenetAngelo is NOT a Pedophilia Relationship and calling it such is an issue.
People call it ""pedophilia"" because on paper Mikey is older than Renet but the reality is far far more complex.
Here's why:
Time Traveling is complex
Like in all media, Time Traveling in TMNT 2012 is insanely complex. While Mikey would be 15 years in his Time Era, if he would travel from his current time to the future…. he's still 15 years. In Season 4 the Turtles travelled 6 months… they're still 15 years even though they hypothetically would be 14,6years.
In Season 4 they're canonically still 15 years. Same for Renet, she's 15-17 years in her Time era but stays 15-17 years even when she's literally billion years in the past.
Even if both are adults...Mikey always would be at least 100 years older.
(Funny how nobody would say anything if Adult Renet would meet Adult Mikey)
(People love adult 1000year old Werewolf dating a 20year old but adult Turtle having an adult future wife would be problematic?)
Other point against the "pedophilia" thing:
2012 Renet is a mess:
Renet in the 2012 version has one of (if not the) least amount of canon information of all TMNT 2012 characters. We've literally nothing about her. No Age, no Living Place, No Backstory…we don't even know why tf she has a Dagger. Only things we know are that she's from the future, an apprentice and probably left-handed (what's really just a detail notice) In previous version it's possible for Time-Lords to be from the past but brought to another dimension or the future…why wouldn't it be possible with 2012 Renet? Example from the Mirage(or IDW?): Lord Gnostis is from 512 BC while Lord Cekini Garvan is from 2113 AD, both living in the 79th Dimension of Null-Time. 2012 Renet could be born in the same Time Era as the Turtles but brought to the future, again, we've no information about this. Speaking of Null-Time. Every previous Renet version, she always was from a different Dimension. And since again, we've no information, 2012 Renet could be similar to Bishop where she can jump between Dimensions where the main Place for the Dimensions Earth (or something) Time-Lords is the Future. The Null-Dimension has no Time. 2012 Renet gives us Freedom to make her however we want her until we get actually information. There is weird sentences of Renet saying she needed 6-months to find the Turtles, what could hint that Renet is not always in the Earth Dimension or on Earth but the 2012 Time-line is so messed up it just could be a script error.
Being from the future doesn't need to mean born in the future.
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Why is it problematic to call this ship a "Pedophilia Relationship"
1, Pedophilia Relationship are a form of Abusive Relationship! Calling RenetAngelo Abusive is just downrights terrible.
2. The word "pedophilia" & "pedophile" is misused way way too often nowadays and people don't take it seriously anymore.
I see way to people call a relationship between a 15 year old and a 16-17 year old "pedo", even when these two grew up together and went to the same school and such.
Given not only pedophilia the wrong meaning but also giving minors more insecurity about relationships.
Further more, the word pedophile implies a mental illness (which is one (ICD per WHO)) which NEEDS medical attention since it's an impulsive disorder.
Calling Michelangelo, a minor, a Pedophile let's people think that relationship between minors in the same age group can be considered pedophilia...no.
"But people won't.." Welcome to the Internet, where people call you the people believe anything on it.
3. Regarding the mental disorder stuff:
Like said, Pedophilia is classified as an Disorder falling under ICD-10 which needs medical attention.
As standing in Wikipedia for popular usage however (best source I know):
" In popular usage, the word pedophilia is often applied to any sexual interest in children or the act of child sexual abuse, including any sexual interest in minors below the local age of consent or age of adulthood, regardless of their level of physical or mental development. "
Mikey, when he talks to Renet, is a minor.
Renet is a minor too.
A true Pedophilia relationship includes sexual harassment from an older minor or adult.
There was never any harassment.
And yes, flirting with a minor can count as sexual harassment.
4. Calling the ship pedophilia is downplaying abuse.
Victim of groomer and pedophiles are victims of abuse, of r*pe, of gaslighting, of blackmail and so much more.
Calling a harmless ship, a harmless cartoon-ship between two minors pedophilia, completely downplays the problematic with pedophilia.
It downplays the abuse by calling cartoon two minors cuddling pedophilia.
Why is this so important to me, why am I so triggered by this?
I've been a victim of a groomer.
It was an just a chat/WhatsApp relationship...with a guy who flet from the police and has every recording of us Video chatting.
Who knows where I live.
Who has everything from me.
There is no closer to this case.
This guy is still out there, with any video-chat he recorded of us.
Every picture I gave to him after he blackmailed me.
Having anything that happened, every anxiety attack related to it, every fear of what happens when he finds me and more compared to RenetAngelo feels disheartening.
It's already hard enough to find people where don't downplay this situation.
Each Time I read when somebody calls this ship "Pedophilia", I get triggered beyond believe.
Every pain I had, every fear I had...compared to something so harmless.
All because people wanna make problems when there are none.
Because they don't like a ship.
The TMNT Fandom needs to stop to make everything a problem.
If you don't like it, don't interact with it but don't make a problem when there's none.
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Side Note/Edit (4th August 2025)
The sentence"Aren't you too old for me" isn't an argument for numbers of reasons.
It's a throwaway line that’s forgotten shortly after as are a lot.
Renet still could be from the same time era as the turtles/another dimension and brought to the future, not knowing about it and Lord S. telling it her in-between Season 3 & Season 5 what lead to the semi-canon (I heard it's 100% canon but I can't find evidence) relationship of Renet & Mikey...again no information about Renet’s past whatsoever and as long as nothing is canon... you can do whatever if it.
It's the 2012 show where A LOT of plot holes exist and Renet again has barley any information too.
I also heard the theory that Renet could be the same humanoid as Honeycutt that developed Time traveling.
Many possible things.
Also found these idea on Reddit that can suggest that Renet also could just be joking/teasing + a good point that when Mikey asked her out....BOTH aren't even born.
