Lunarians (Lunarian: Lô-ku [lo˧˧ ku˧˧]) are the people of the Moon. whether they are humans or something unique is dubious, however most Lunarians see "Lunarian" as either a race, ethnicity, or nationality, rather than a species.
they're commonly seen as Variant Humans. the first Lunarians are called người Nhất, and all the Lunarians who have come after that original group are called người Hai. (người Sau is used on occasion, but is significantly less common than Hai.)
Lunarians have a list of rules put into place by the Moon Goddess at the dawn of their civilization. one rule is the most important:
Lunarians may NOT, under any circumstances, return to Earth. there is no going back once they have ascended.
they have tried a single time to re-enter Earth. the 50-strong crew's spacecraft crashed and everyone on board died. ...or did they? the entire Lunar population has taken this as a sign to never try again.
the semi-regular arrival of Earthling humans minimizes genetic drift and stops Lunarians from fully breaking off as a unique species. most Lunarians have tanned skin, due to both the mixed African-Asian-Native American-Aboriginal Austrailian heritage and as an adaptation to the harsh Sun.
while they've been able to artificially create a thicker atmosphere and raise the gravity on the Moon, the gravity is still slightly lower than on Earth (~8m/s² instead of 9.8m/s²). thus, Lunarians are required to be significantly more active than Earthlings in order to keep themselves healty.
one of the largest Lunarian ethnic groups is the Việt Trăng (Jüệt Tlăng). while their colloquial language is called Lunar Vietnamese, it's actually a different (though closely related) language.
when a Lunarian reaches maturity, they recieve a blessing from the Moon Goddess. this blessing grants them near-immortality and a unique ability to assist their colony. they receive a marking known as a Điềm (lit. "omen"; occasionally known as a dấu "mark" or định danh "identifier") on their backs. this marking is the root of their power.
while a Điềm can be any symbol, I Ching hexagrams are very common in both the LPR and ALT. their meanings can be fairly abstract, but all in some way symbolize the bearer's personality, abilities (magical or otherwise), past, future, vices, virtues, beliefs, dreams, or fears. for example, Linh's hexagram is ䷸, the gentle wind.
the Điềm may change over time, reflecting the bearer's growth. a Lunarian can only naturally have one.