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The arguments being put forth in this thread, particularly the ones attempting to quantify wit and intellect, are more or less completely meaningless because what the question is essentially asking is: "Can people force you to perceive their character a certain way?"
And the answer is no. I think everyone would agree that the answer is no. Unless it's a D&D campaign where the attributes of a character are tracked and informed (e.g. Roll a lore check, score a natural 20, "With staggering speed, your character deciphers the runes effortlessly. This language seems similar to what you know of Ancient Whatsit, and the structure is odd, but you feel that you obtain the complete accurate meaning of the ancient tablet nonetheless"), then no one can force others to perceive their character a certain way.
Regardless of whether or not the player is intelligent, the player cannot force other characters to perceive their character as intelligent.
An intelligent character may be viewed by other characters as dumb. A dumb character may be viewed by other characters as the flowering genius of the era.
If other characters don't perceive your character as the way you want your character to be perceived, then the problem is not the other characters but the portayal--again, one cannot force others to perceive their characters or writing a certain way.
One example being put forth is the idea of conveyance; the difference between "<x> does <intelligent action y> with incredible comfort and skill" and "<x> performs <description of the action itself and thought process>. One is telling. The other is showing.
In this situation, the question changes. The question becomes "Does telling someone about a character's attributes substitute for showing them?" And you'll get varying answers, but really what it comes down to is whether or not the audience is willing to tolerate lazy writing. I can of course simply "tell" you that my character is Picasso, Mozart, and Ice JJ Fish rolled into one amazing artistic package, and your character may respond to it by reacting as if they'd met an incredible visionary, but how the player behind the other character responds is up to them.
If they're willing to roll with it, then they proceed as normal.
If they're not really okay with being told rather than shown, then their character can react accordingly.
Attempting to force perceptions on other is, as a general rule, a bad time. Perceptions of characters or situations are made by their portayals, and if you can't convince the audience of a certain trait or attribute, or if they're not willing to roll with being told but not shown, then you're pretty much out of luck.
And the answer is no. I think everyone would agree that the answer is no. Unless it's a D&D campaign where the attributes of a character are tracked and informed (e.g. Roll a lore check, score a natural 20, "With staggering speed, your character deciphers the runes effortlessly. This language seems similar to what you know of Ancient Whatsit, and the structure is odd, but you feel that you obtain the complete accurate meaning of the ancient tablet nonetheless"), then no one can force others to perceive their character a certain way.
Regardless of whether or not the player is intelligent, the player cannot force other characters to perceive their character as intelligent.
An intelligent character may be viewed by other characters as dumb. A dumb character may be viewed by other characters as the flowering genius of the era.
If other characters don't perceive your character as the way you want your character to be perceived, then the problem is not the other characters but the portayal--again, one cannot force others to perceive their characters or writing a certain way.
One example being put forth is the idea of conveyance; the difference between "<x> does <intelligent action y> with incredible comfort and skill" and "<x> performs <description of the action itself and thought process>. One is telling. The other is showing.
In this situation, the question changes. The question becomes "Does telling someone about a character's attributes substitute for showing them?" And you'll get varying answers, but really what it comes down to is whether or not the audience is willing to tolerate lazy writing. I can of course simply "tell" you that my character is Picasso, Mozart, and Ice JJ Fish rolled into one amazing artistic package, and your character may respond to it by reacting as if they'd met an incredible visionary, but how the player behind the other character responds is up to them.
If they're willing to roll with it, then they proceed as normal.
If they're not really okay with being told rather than shown, then their character can react accordingly.
Attempting to force perceptions on other is, as a general rule, a bad time. Perceptions of characters or situations are made by their portayals, and if you can't convince the audience of a certain trait or attribute, or if they're not willing to roll with being told but not shown, then you're pretty much out of luck.