There was a "core" in the way that there was a certain number of individuals represented in each drama thread because they felt strongly enough about it to keep at it. The voting itself didn't represent a "core" at all.
There was no "core" in the sense that no one was coordinating these people, no one was sending out emails with links to VTD and no one was trying to enlist others to their cause. It was individuals acting on their own.