Somewhat, previously named Little,^[2] is a mouse residing in the Ever After that Ruby Rose meets in "A Place of Particular Concern".

In "Tea Amidst Terrible Trouble", Little was crushed underfoot by Neopolitan and by default, taken to the Great Tree to ascend. Upon ascending, they gained the new form of Somewhat and returned to the Ever After, later traveling the realm alongside Juniper.

Quick Answers

What was Somewhat's name before they ascended?

The character Somewhat, from the RWBY Wikia, was previously known as Little before their Ascension. They maintained their original personality traits post-Ascension, such as friendliness and positivity, and continued their close relationship with Ruby, often referring to her as 'Huntress'.

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How did Somewhat come to ascend to their new form?

Through Ascension, Somewhat transformed into a larger form to better serve as a guide, friend, and protector. Despite this change, they maintained their original personality traits, including friendliness and positivity. Their strong bond with friends, notably Ruby, remained intact post-Ascension. The new form featured additional fur and an orange cape.

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Who does Somewhat travel the realm with after ascending?

Post-ascension, Somewhat journeys through the realm with Ruby, also known as 'Huntress'. Their bond, which began when Somewhat was Little, remains strong. Somewhat also encounters Jaune, leading to Jaune's acceptance of Ascension and subsequent entry to the Great Tree with his companions.

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What does Somewhat look like in their mouse form?

Somewhat, in their mouse form, is larger than a typical mouse, standing as tall as Ruby's waist. They possess white fur with beige spots and the ability to stand on their hind legs. Upon ascending, they developed additional fur tufts on their head and chest, and acquired an orange cape, akin to Ruby's hood. They also wear a brown pouch-like belt and brown fingerless gloves.

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How is Somewhat connected to Ruby Rose in RWBY?

Somewhat, in their initial form as a small mouse, first interacted with Ruby Rose, the lead character of RWBY. Their initial curiosity about Ruby faded when she became stuck in a repetitive cycle, but they still expressed their thanks to her.

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Appearance

Little looked like a regular mouse, having white fur with beige spots. They are able to stand on their hind legs, unlike normal mice.

After ascending, Somewhat became much larger, now as tall as Ruby's waist, with new tufts of fur on their head and chest. They gained a red-orange cape with seams at the end, similar to the hood Ruby dons. They also gained a brown leather pouch-like belt around their waist and brown fingerless gloves.

Personality

Little

As Little, they were a curious and friendly mouse. When presented with an idea or concept they didn't understand, they politely asked for clarification. They offered to help Ruby find her friends shortly after meeting her, directing her towards their village to see if they had seen signs of her teammates.

Little appeared to be instinctively afraid of cats, as the mere mention of one of Ruby's friends having "cat ears" was enough to make them scream and cower, and seeing Blake for the first time yields the same reaction. This fear was quickly overcome when Little learned that while Blake has cat traits, she is not literally a cat, and they became comfortable enough to climb up Blake's body and rest on her shoulder. They were also willing to put their fears aside when it comes to friends.

Little believes that one's name is tied to their "purpose". When Ruby first introduces herself, Little is initially confused by her numerous titles, and asks if "Ruby Rose" is her "purpose". When Ruby gives Little their name, they ask "how" one "Littles". When Ruby, Weiss and Blake are preparing to leave Little's village, they offer to accompany the three of them as their "trusty guide" due to not having anything to do in the village yet.

Despite Little's enthusiasm, they tended to be unreliable. They quickly fell asleep after pointing Ruby in the direction of their village and later dozes off after their offer to be Team RWBY's guide is accepted. However, they are capable of great courage as seen, when Little obtained Floating Array from the Jinxy Peddler in order to make Ruby happy.

In "Tea Amidst Terrible Trouble", they were willing to take risks and face their fears as they managed to stop Curious Cat by biting their tail before they can possess Ruby. As shown in their final moments as Little, they truly cared about Ruby as a friend and despite their small size, refused to abandon her and tried to get her to convince her to escape with them.

Somewhat

After going through Ascension, Somewhat retained much of their original personality, notably their friendliness, enthusiasm, kindness, and positivity, as shown in their conversation with Ruby. As noted by Weiss, Blake, Ruby and Yang, Little had likely chosen their new self in order to be a better guide, friend, protector and become more adorable, all in order to be of better use to their friends and better help them in their journey.

After Ascending, Somewhat still retained their strong feelings of friendship and care for Ruby, as shown where they admitted to feeling nostalgic around her and describing her as a "Happy dream [they] can’t remember". Somewhat themselves would call Ruby "Huntress", something Ruby had asked them to do as Little and showing how deeply they treasured their time with Ruby.

Before leaving, Jaune tasks Somewhat with looking after his steed Juniper in his stead. Somewhat cheerfully accepts, and the two ride off together.

Trivia

• Little alludes to the Dormouse from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with inspirations from Stuart Little.^[3]
  • Much like the Dormouse, they fall asleep very often.
• RWBY animator, Arryn Troche, has confirmed that Little uses gender neutral they/them pronouns.^[4]
• It is possible that Little requested to become similar to Ruby following their Ascension, as the tuff in Somewhat's hair, their gloves, cape and belt all seem to match her own.
• Little was initially conceptualized to introduce the concepts of the Ever After and give Ruby a companion for Volume 9.^[3]
• Little's personality was meant to parallel Ruby's personality at the beginning of the series, to contrast how Ruby is at this point in the series.^[3]
• Somewhat appears to have taken on the former role of the Curious Cat, as in "The Adventures of Somewhat", they were tasked with finding "what feels wrong" in the Ever After.

References