we know for sure that even some posts within the contests are getting loyalty or just randomly cared votes no matter how cheap the content is produced.

Not in mine. Never. Or else it would trash the whole contest concept.

SteemSTEM articles

Curies are curies. I dunnow why you didn't get one for fiction writing, your works are good. It's an empiric process and first or after I'm sure you'll be on a curator's radar.

Not sailing in popularity waters sometimes is a positive distinctive mark. Otherwise we should be (whale)asslickers who talk through empty emojis, pretend to be best friends and shitpost every day, twice a day.