Alexander "VooDooSh" Shalchinov spoke publicly about the criticism he receives and reflected on how often people try to discourage others from starting something new. He warned that listening to those voices can prevent any progress. His comments were reposted by the LEGENDWP DOTA 2 channel in Telegram.
Shalchinov said that throughout his life he has constantly been told that various pursuits are "not for him"—no matter what he attempts, people will insist it isn't his place. He described hearing the same negative messages over and over and noted that critics apply that label to many activities, citing examples such as poker and games like Heroes, Warcraft and World of Warcraft. He added that genuine supporters are rare, and, speaking personally, he at least hopes his son resembles him.
Earlier, VooDooSh summed up his 2025 year, admitting he faced mental-health difficulties, a surge of haters and other challenges. At the same time he talked about different projects and achievements and emphasized the support he received from parts of his audience. He shared more extensive reflections and context about those events in a longer statement.