I found a server that kept its world after the first season ended. Season 2 starts on the same land so you spawn into places that already have stories. There are old builds left behind like towers that never got finished and mines that go way deeper than people remember and houses with sorted chests.
It is vanilla plus on Fabric and it feels hands off. There is no land claim system and no economy plugin pushing you around. You can follow old roads if you find them or just head into the dark and make your own spot. You can even finish a build that someone else started.
It uses Xaeros Minimap and it also has Dynmap so you can watch the world as it fills in. There are extra blocks for building and more detailing mods too. It also includes Friend and Foe for more mobs.
It is 18 plus and LGBTQ friendly. You apply to join first.
