Popcorn Head: Science Fiction

The popcorn tub was all that saved his life, the doctors told him later. without that, his skull would have been crushed in by the part of the ceiling that collapsed, or stomped open by the feet of the rioters as the fans tried to escape the stadium while the death rays lanced back and forth across the crowded space. It wasn't entirely reassuring. And the press took to calling him "Popcorn Head," presumably because there needed to be some humor somewhere, a lighter side, or too many people would have jumped out of their apartment windows and plummeted to the ground. There was some of that anyway, though he liked to think that old Popcorn Head had maybe made a few people watching the news and fearing for the End Times laugh, maybe given them that 30 second--


Inspiration: My survival calendar's tip about how to survive a riot--"place an empty popcorn tub or other container over your head"
Story Potential: High? Sort of?
Notes: The story as is isn't really high potential, but I like the idea of taking something really awful and playing it straight with a deadpan voice. Kind of noir.