Russian City •RP•

In the concrete slums of Tolyatti's Avtozavodsky district, Sergei moved with effortless ease, his tracksuit blending into the sea of ​​identical neighborhoods. He ruled the courtyards—charming old ladies at kiosks, joking with factory workers, but always observing, calculating. His smile was disarming, his words were gentle, but everyone knew: crossing him meant trouble. The streets were his stage, and he played every role flawlessly.

Card 15: Bus Station A gateway to the big world. The smell of gasoline, sweat, and cheap diner food. A handwritten timetable on a board. Lines at the ticket counter, drivers shouting, "To Moscow! To Ryazan! Two seats available!" Homeless people, conscripts, and grandmothers with bundles sleep in the waiting room. People left here to study, to work, to join the army. A place of meetings and partings, saturated with longing and anticipation.

Card 14: Cinema "October" A huge building with one working theater. In the lobby, there's a display case selling "Love is..." gum and popcorn. Showtimes are at 4:00 PM, 6:30 PM, and 9:00 PM. They show Hollywood action films with terrible Goblin translations or monotonous voiceovers. The audience consists of couples trying to kiss in the dark and groups of teenagers. The film often breaks, causing a collective hoot from the audience. A trip to the cinema is a weekly event.

Card 13: Trud Stadium Rusty stands, a dilapidated football field with bare patches. In the mornings, there are physical education classes from the local schools. In the evenings, there are practices for the local football team playing in the amateur league. On weekends, it's the main spot for men of all ages: neighborhood teams kick a ball around, drink beer in the stands, and discuss Spartak and Zenit. The abandoned locker rooms smell of mold and Rescuer ointment.

Card 12: Gorky Park Abandoned, but charming. The rides are from the USSR: "Romashka," "Kolokolchik," and a teddy bear shooting gallery. Cracked concrete paths, backless benches. In the fall, a sea of ​​yellow leaves and the smell of smoke from leaf-burning bonfires. In the winter, an ice slide made of wooden decking. A place for schoolchildren to hang out and young mothers with strollers to stroll. An oasis of peace in the city center.

Card 11: Central Square A vast, empty space, paved with tiles, with an unfinished fountain and dried-up flowerbeds. In the summer, teenagers on skateboards and rollerblades fill the space. In the winter, it's the city's main Christmas tree, decorated with blue lights. Around the edges are the administration building (with its coat of arms), the main post office, and a Soviet-era movie theater. It's a popular spot for rare May Day rallies and New Year's celebrations. The rest of the year, it's deserted and windy.

Card 10: Minibus (Gazelle) Iconic transport. A converted van with hard seats along the sides. The conductor (or the driver himself) calls out the stops and collects money. "Lenin Square, clear the back way!" At rush hour, there's a crush, a mixture of perfume, gasoline, and someone's breakfast. The windows fog up, and hearts are painted on them. The music is "Russian Chanson" or "Europa Plus." A test of survival and the main transport artery.

Card 9: Factory checkpoint The main ritual of the factory town. In the morning, at 6:30, a stream of people in overalls and work clothes, carrying thermoses and bags. Their faces are tired, but familiar. In the evening, the opposite stream, more lively, appears. At the entrance, there are stalls selling chebureki and pirozhki (fried pastries), and taxi drivers waiting for "customers." Working at the factory is no longer a source of pride, as it once was, but a necessity. A stable, but gray and dreary life from shift to shift.

Card 8: Vocational school (or technical school) It had a reputation as a dumping ground for underachievers and troubled teenagers. The hallways were filled with groups of smoking guys in leather jackets and girls with bright lipstick. Internships at the local factory were a way to earn a few bucks and skip classes. The dorm was a hell of its own, with endless drinking and fights. But it was also where the romance of first serious relationships and a camaraderie against all odds was born.

Card 7: School A three-story brick building with graffiti constantly painted over. Hallways painted a dull green on the bottom and a dirty beige on the top. A computer class in the basement on Agat or Pentium I computers. A cafeteria with compote and gray cutlets. A gym smelling of dust and sweat, with warped hoops. Conversations during recess about new MTV videos and who has which Nokia 7 model number.

Card 6: Disco at the Rassvet cafe A dark room, a flashing multicolored garland, a mirror ball. The DJ is a local guy with CD-Rs. The bands playing are "Ruki Vverkh," "Tatu," and "Blestyashchie." The dance floor is crowded, and in the corner are a few couples slowly twirling to "The Last Dance." The smell of cheap perfume, sweat, and Belomor cigarettes permeates the air. The buffet offers soda from a siphon and cabbage pies. A place for ostentatious adulthood.

Card 5: District House of Culture (RDK) A huge, half-abandoned building with a peeling coat of arms on the façade. Inside, creaky parquet floors and the smell of mothballs and dust on the heavy velvet curtains. There are children's clubs here: ballroom dancing (girls in homemade tutus), drama (a production of "The Government Inspector"), and "handyman." In the evenings, there are discos for high school students listening to Depeche Mode and Kar-Man, guarded by stern men in tracksuits.

Card 4: Market ("Kolkhozny" or "Veryovochka") Noise, hubbub, life in full swing. Rows of cheap Chinese consumer goods: Alaskan jackets, sweatpants, socks. Grandmothers with homemade pickles, herbs, and milk in plastic bottles. Meat stalls with flies and gruff butchers. The smell of smoked fish, spices, and freshly cut onions. Constant cries of, "Girl, come here, if you take it, I'll give it to you for free!" A place where they learn to bargain.

Card 3: The "Near Home" Store (aka "Stall") A tiny space, crammed with everything. A refrigerator stocked with beer and "Doctor's" sausage. Shelves lined with "Moskovsky Kartofel" chips, "Kirieshki" croutons, and "Snickers" chocolate bars. Through the glass counter are limp dumplings and cloudy pastries. The owner (often Armenian or Azerbaijani) knows all the regulars. People buy bread, milk, and "Peter I" cigarettes here, and make calls from the payphone by the entrance. A local news center.

Card 2: Entrance A separate universe. The smell of damp, cat food, and old linoleum. Mailboxes, many sealed shut with tape. Walls covered with phone numbers, names, and unimaginable inscriptions. An elevator that's always "on its lunch break" or creaks alarmingly. Stairwells—a place for first cigarettes, kisses, and quiet arguments. Graffiti reading "Vasya Was Here" as the main historical artifact.

Card 1: Yard A microcosm frozen in the '80s. A sandbox with a rusty frame, a swing set, a rickety wooden slide. Benches by the entrance—the headquarters of local grandmothers, watching everything. Cracked asphalt, on which hopscotch and hockey goals are drawn in chalk. In summer, the smell of barbecue wafts from the open windows and the sound of a soccer ball hitting the wall. In winter, a packed icy path to the trash bins and a blind snowman.