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Seemingly-Profound Fool

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There's a newcomer in town, and everyone agrees that he's a marvel, perhaps of Purity Sue proportions. He's friendly, well-spoken, and clearly In Charge but never throws his weight around. Everyone says he's a genius, and rumor has it that he's a Chessmaster, an expert linguist, and the most sought after consultant in the country. He's a bit peculiar, but hey, as brilliant and philosophical as he is, his odd quirks must indicate just how deep he really is, right? He's the guy who is sure to know the answer when you come to him with a problem. A Sub-Trope of Mistaken for Profound.

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There's a newcomer in town, and everyone agrees that he's a marvel, perhaps of Purity Sue proportions. He's friendly, well-spoken, and clearly In Charge but never throws his weight around. Everyone says he's a genius, and rumor has it that he's a Chessmaster, an expert linguist, and the most sought after consultant in the country. He's a bit peculiar, but hey, as brilliant and philosophical as he is, his odd quirks must indicate just how deep he really is, right? He's the guy who is sure to know the answer when you come to him with a problem. Except that he doesn't have the answer. In fact, he doesn't even understand the question. Often, the most brilliant visiting expert, or most beloved substitute teacher, or most canny enemy agent is really The Fool. He's usually either a harmless imbecile or mental patient, who, simply because he has the right appearance and is at the right place at the right time, is assumed to be someone other than he actually is. Because everyone assumes that he's a genius, their odd meanderings and banalities are taken for profundities. Oddly enough, his advice is almost always spot on, because the real problems are actually very simple -- so simple that everyone has been overlooking the answers all along. The Seemingly-Profound Fool is a human Rorschach test: Other people project what they most want to find onto him, and will insist on their interpretation of his words and deeds with a desperate will no matter how outrageous they are from an objective point of view. An example of Feigning Intelligence, and a subtrope of both The Fool and Mistaken for Special Guest. Contrast with And You Thought It Was a Game, who may act like this out of temporary ignorance of the true situation. Compare with Blank Slate, in which other characters have a greater effect on him than he does on them, and Silent Bob. A variation on Becoming the Mask as others put a mask on him to serve their needs. If he is mentally challenged, unlike Idiot Savant, Genius Ditz, and The Rainman he will have nothing that serves as "compensation" for his disability, and Inspirationally Disadvantaged won't apply to him because the others don't know he's disadvantaged. May overlap with Man Child, as in the trope namer's case, and/or be Mistaken for Badass. In extreme cases, the Seemingly-Profound Fool may become a Fake Ultimate Hero, purely as a consequence of how other people react to him. May well result in One Dialogue, Two Conversations. And Hilarity Ensues when this guy's considered a serious threat. A Sub-Trope of Mistaken for Profound. Examples of Seemingly-Profound Fool include: