IRC exists and works great! :D
I’m on a self hosted network that is active almost around the clock, full of chill, wholesome and welcoming people. I can PM details for anyone who wants to come check us out (there is a webchat option, no need to set up a IRC client if you just want to have a look), don’t know if advertising is frowned upon here or not and I don’t want to spam or upset anyone.
Edit: Since my account is too young to be sending private messages to strangers, I’ll add the info here:
The server address is irc.inthemansion.com port: 6697 Join #lobby and say “hello” :)
Web chat can be found on the front page here https://inthemansion.com/ it will by default make you join #lobby. So if you are unfamiliar with IRC, that is the easiest way to try it out.