#so like. NMJ's role as daughter of the sect leader would've been to support her younger brother and make a beneficial marriage alliance

[randomidiocyncrazies]

Help I'm being held hostage by fem!Nie Mingjue AU

[randomidiocyncrazies]

okay i've thought a little more about fem!Nie Mingjue AU; gender matters a lot in the setting, and NMJ being described (and perceived by the fanbase) as such a masculine figure makes it interesting to think about how their life might've been like if they were a woman

(this is an exploration of NMJ as a cis woman, albeit one with (most probably) a complicated relationship with her gender, but if anyone has trans headcanons i'd love to know more!)

one of the biggest changes if NMJ is born a woman would be her role in the sect and in society. In canon NMJ was unmarried, wasn't betrothed to anyone, nor had plans to father children. this was not a cause for concern; he had a legitimate younger brother, so there was no succession crisis.

But as a woman, NMJ's duty as the sect leader's daughter would've been to marry strategically—that would be how she supports her sect and family, since she wouldn't have been raised with the expectation of becoming sect leader (that expectation would've gone to NHS). And as a legitimate* daughter born to the leader of a prominent sect, i think it's likely that she would have a childhood betrothal arranged before her father died/was killed.

*dichu 嫡出: I'm not familiar with an English equivalent and used "legitimate" here, but basically dichu children are children from a man's primary wife (妻) instead of his concubines (妾), and in terms of inheritance the sons of the wife gets the biggest share, followed by sons from the concubines. Daughters were generally not allowed to formally inherit anything until relatively recently; their dowry is their share of the inheritance (and technically the dowry belongs to them, not their husband's family—a mother's jewelry from her birth family can be passed down to her daughters etc). There is a ceremony to make a concubine into the primary wife (扶正), but iirc it's technically illegal if the wife is still alive/part of the household.

Since NMJ is the daughter of a prominent sect leader's primary wife, proper matches for her would've been the (legitimate/嫡出) sons of other sect leaders. Since we know very little about the minor clans allied with Qinghe Nie, I'm going to focus on the other major sects. Of those, I personally think one of Wen Rouhan's sons would've been the most likely betrothal candidate. There are multiple factors pointing towards a Nie-Wen match:

Wen Rouhan and Sect Leader Nie (seemingly) got along well before the murder-sabotage, so it'd make sense for them to pair their children up;

the Wen sect is powerful, and having a daughter marry into the sect is a solid political move on sect leader Nie's part;

it'd give Wen Rouhan a plausible pretext to interfere with the inner workings of the Nie sect via sect leader Nie's murder, especially if it was an attempt to manipulate the Nie siblings to be reliant on "future father-in-law" during such a trying time. WRH did not anticipate his involvement in the murder getting out, which gives NMJ a reason to break off the betrothal—marrying the son of your father's alleged murderer would've been dishonorable. WRH probably also didn't anticipate the Nie sect to stand behind NMJ as someone they can rally around until NHS comes of age.

I personally lean towards Wen Xu being NMJ's childhood fiance, for dramatic effect during the Sunshot Campaign—even if NMJ didn't have as much authority as her canon counterpart during the war, I think she'd still be active on the front-lines (maybe as NHS's body-double or bodyguard), and it'd still be possible for her to decapitate Wen Xu & have his body trampled as an intimidation tactic, with the double-edged sword of making her seem more unhinged/brutal in the average cultivator's eyes.

I also think there's more tension? resentment? between NHS and NMJ, if NMJ was a woman. the vibe i got from NHS in canon was that he never wanted the burden of being sect leader (which imo is at least partially influenced by Nie sect's destructive cultivation style), and in canon NHS had breathing space/wriggle room to indulge in his hobbies when NMJ was alive.

but if NMJ was a woman, it's very likely that the other sects would've dismissed her entirely, and her authority would be a lot more tenuous because the other sects would only accept her as an interim leader until the 'proper' heir NHS takes over from her (including NMJ herself—I don't think she was necessarily for women's rights, sorry. She cares about honor, and honor in this instance imo would've been to protect the sect for her little brother and hand the sect back over to him when he's ready to take over). So NHS grows up with far more pressure on him to take his position as the next sect leader seriously, and there's more pressure on him to not goof off indulging in his own hobbies. He has less leeway to blow off steam and must bear the burden of sect leader much earlier. Unlike canon, i don't think he has as much opportunity to cultivate his "head-shaker" reputation, since he can't appear to be too incompetent, though i think he does hide the full extent of his competence/quick wit because he saw as a child what appearing like a threat means (i.e. betrayal and a painful death like their father).

Meanwhile, NMJ might be frustrated by her brother playing dumb here and there, which she probably saw as him not taking his responsibilities seriously. Having essentially run the sect since she was a teenager, she might also chastise him over policy disagreements/give advice when he didn't ask for it etc. On top of that, the other sects also have their own speculations about the power dynamics in the Nie sect, and the politically inclined might or might not spread rumors about sect leader Nie being a puppet of his ambitious sister. In other words: the Nie siblings have to present a united front, and it has to look like NHS is calling the shots even when NHS feels like he's stuck between a rock and a hard place (e.g. his sister arguing with him about some stance they should take as a sect, and knowing there's gonna be political fallout with the other sects either way).

Also, this is not to say NMJ doesn't understand politics; she couldn't afford to not be aware of how it works, especially as a young teen being the regent for her younger brother, and the Nie sect retaining a relatively high standing all these years speaks for itself. I just think NMJ doesn't bother with playing games herself, and there are certain principles she will not bend. (Like... lying is not tolerated, but I think she understands the value of framing things a certain way, as long as you don't lie about it.)

Anyway. I think the Nie siblings love and care about each other—would die and kill for each other, especially in the aftermath of their father's death—but they also have some unresolved issues about NMJ being NHS's older sister instead of older brother.

(on that note, i think multiple people have lamented NMJ being born a girl growing up: in canon NMJ's mom and NHS's mom didn't seem to have beef with one another, but i think family dynamics might be more tense if the primary wife 'failed' to give her husband an heir, while the concubine did. So whether it was just wistful musings or something more bitter, I think NMJ's mom would've wondered out loud what life could've been like if NMJ was the heir, i.e. a boy

i think NHS's mom might've also wished NMJ was a dude, especially after her husband died and they saw first-hand how horrible a qi deviation death was; i don't think she's a bad stepmom to NMJ at all, but there's a part of her that wishes her own son was spared from the fate of dying young in such a way, and would rather NMJ carry the burden than her own son

I could also imagine NMJ's dad joking about how it's too bad she's not his son, kind of proud of her fierce pride and forthright nature but also casually putting her down for not being ladylike enough; there's also a sense that NMJ's talents are 'wasted' bc sexism 🙄

and then you also have the Nie elders and disciples when the sect leader was incapacitated/dies. his heir is 8 years old, the sect is looking at a stretch of instability that could have huge repercussions for their sect's future, and it'd be so much less complicated if the sect leader's other child—barely old enough at 14—is someone they could put into place as the new sect leader without the other sects laughing them out of their position as one of the great sects etc etc. the Nie sect does rally around her until NHS is old enough to take leadership, but it'd be easier if she was a dude)