carapace (noun) A thick, hard shell made of bone or chitin found on animals such as turtles, crabs, and armadillos.
To survive at helveticka, Aaron learned that a protective carapace was necessary not only to blunt the blows of criticism aimed primarily at his writing (not to mention his attire and taste in music), but also to stifle Courtney’s frequent encomiums to someone called “Queen Bey.”
