# Glowing Eyes Glowing Eyes, also known as Laser Eyes, is a Photoshop meme where the eyes of people, characters, and animals get edited to blaze with bright energy, mimicking the 'super mode' trope from games and anime. The format grew out of Mass Effect 2 edits in 2010 and later powered Dark MAGA, Dark Brandon, and the Bitcoin Laser Eyes profile picture trend. ## Origin The visual gag traces back to Mass Effect 2, released on January 26th, 2010, in which the Reaper ship Harbinger triggers glowing yellow eyes on Collector enemies while 'assuming direct control' of them[5]. Over the following months, Photoshops of animals and characters wearing those same yellow eyes with the 'assuming direct control' caption began circulating. On January 30th, 2011, TV Tropes documented the broader animation device under a 'Glowing Eyes' page, which gave meme creators a shared vocabulary for the effect[1]. Tumblr user maohshounen posted a widely reshared edit on May 13th, 2013 showing a skeleton in a rocking chair with glowing eyes captioned 'ah yes my throne'[2]. - **Platform:** 4chan / Tumblr (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2010 ## Overview The core format pairs an ordinary or ominous photograph with eyes edited to shine with bright light, usually white, yellow, red, or blue. The effect borrows animation shorthand for a character powering up or getting possessed, which TV Tropes catalogued under a 2011 entry describing the device as a way to show off 'Life Energy' or a triggered 'Super Mode'[1]. YouTube tutorials by Bubway in February 2017[3] and PolarSaurusRex a month later walked viewers through layering lens flares and glow effects onto portraits[4]. Inside the Deep Fried Memes stack, glowing eyes sit alongside oversaturated colors, JPEG artifacts, and the sunglasses emoji as a visual tag for maximum intensity[5]. The look tells the viewer that the subject has gone 'full power,' which is why it later attached so cleanly to political alter egos like Dark MAGA Trump and Dark Brandon Biden, and to crypto holders signaling conviction with #LaserRayUntil100K profile pictures. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Glowing Eyes? Glowing Eyes, also called Laser Eyes, is a Photoshop meme where the eyes of a person, character, or animal are edited to blaze with bright energy, borrowing a 'Super Mode' trope from animation and games[1]. ### Where did Glowing Eyes come from? The format grew out of Mass Effect 2 edits after the game's January 26th, 2010 release, where the Reaper Harbinger makes Collector enemies' eyes glow yellow when 'assuming direct control'[5]. ### What does Glowing Eyes mean? The effect signals that the subject is powered up, unhinged, or operating at maximum intensity, which is why it attached to Dark MAGA Trump, Dark Brandon Biden, and Bitcoin true believers[5]. ### How do you use Glowing Eyes? People typically layer lens flares and glow effects over a subject's eyes in Photoshop, a technique popularized by 2017 YouTube tutorials from Bubway[3] and PolarSaurusRex[4]. ### Is Glowing Eyes still popular? The format is a classic Photoshop meme that resurfaces with each political cycle and crypto rally, including a wave of laser-eye profile pictures on X after Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race[5]. ## References 1. [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GlowingEyes]() 2. [https://maohshounen.tumblr.com/post/50394526366/ah-yes-my-throne]() 3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gENkNqCMElA]() 4. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe24wq0QzNw]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/glowing-eyes-laser-eyes]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/glowing-eyes-laser-eyes Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library