Mort Howe

 Mort Howe is a cynical, jaded scientist who lives with Gar and Posey. Another primary character of Same Apartment, his first appearance was in issue 003.

Personality
Mort is cynical, jaded, and slightly depressing. He is absorbed in his scientific endeavors, which range from opening up inter-dimensional gateway portals, to doodling cheese on his blackboard. While he enjoys living with Gar and Posey, and the freedom he gets with having a satisfyingly large workspace to experiment in, he doesn't quite understand the jovial and, to his mind, mindless activities his house mates constantly engage in. To Mort, time is precious, which is eerily prophetic given his name.

Mort is older then the others by a few years. As such, he is somewhat grizzled, with a morbid perspective on life in general. Mort isn't unfriendly as he is merely conservative in just how much he interacts with other people. To him, the universe is large and vastly unexplored, with an infinite amount of discoveries to be made and inventions to create. Mort can, however, show signs of surprising thoughtfulness, though its delivery is usually one of bored idleness, as if the passing thought of helping someone is something to do when you're not busy perfoming a Vulcan mind-meld. He has, on a number of occasions presented Posey with a softer, gentle attitude which appears genuinely interested in seeing her succeed in her goals, though Mort of course doesn't particularly think anything of it. If he didn't do it, someone else likely would, to his mind.

An avid Star Trek fan, Mort also has an unexplainable fascination with cheese.

Appearance
Mort dresses maturely, like that of a middle-aged man. He likes polo shirts and jeans, with his hair cut short. He wears glasses as he is short sighted, and his nose is somewhat bulbous. When angry he spontaneously sprouts a five o'clock shadow.

Role
While Mort is merely a good friend and a house mate to Gar, (even though Mort doesn't seemingly have much in common with the big bear at all), he is almost a fatherly figure to Posey. While his cynical nature can be off-putting and a little depressing, he does offer a slightly more realistic perspective on life, which Posey needs to counter the almost overwhelming optimism that is Gar. In effect, Mort is the person who wouldn't hesitate to pull Posey down to earth, where Gar would most likely be completely encouraging. Posey recognizes this, at least to her mind, as a kindly gesture of good will, a sentiment that Mort may or may not accept, even if it was true. Much of this could be due to Mort's age. Being quite a bit older than Posey, Mort knows how harsh life can be.

Mort seems to hold a fair amount of respect for Posey. As a scientist he is always seeking to break walls and expand his boundaries, and he sees this common trait inside Posey herself. He respects this and, understanding how brutal it must have been on her to endure oppresive and overbearing parents, helps nurture this independant streak. While he won't throw himself in support, he does gently nudge her in the right direction, which is probably what she needs most. Essentially, Mort encourages Posey to follow her own heart, while keeping in mind that the world isn't all a bed of roses. Posey, in turn, reminds Mort that the world just might not be all that bad after all.