Gust and Ginger
Complete guide to Gust and Ginger in Starsand Island. Covers how to unlock the My Time at Portia crossover characters, daily schedules, gift preferences (loved/liked/disliked/hated), 4-heart friendship mechanics, bedroom access, differences from regular NPCs, known issues, and Fang and Nia from My Time at Sandrock.
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Overview
Gust and Ginger are crossover characters from Pathea Games' My Time at Portia. They arrive on Starsand Island on Summer 23rd of your first year, after you have repaired the Starsand Station train line. Both are permanent residents who settle into their own houses and function like normal islanders: you can chat with them daily, give them gifts, complete their Bulletin Board requests, and build friendship through the relationship system.
They are part of a collaboration between Seed Sparkle Lab and Pathea Games. A second pair of crossover characters, Fang and Nia from My Time at Sandrock, arrive later in the game on the first day of Autumn. A "My Time at Starsand Island" bundle is available on Steam combining all three games at a discount.
How to Unlock
Before Gust and Ginger can arrive, you must repair the Starsand Station train line on the far east side of the island. This is part of the main questline and requires delivering materials (including Soup Dumplings) to Railway Worker Yang and the construction crew.
1. Complete the train station repair quest. This also unlocks fast travel across the island.
2. On Summer 23rd, you will receive mail from Solara notifying you that Gust and Ginger are arriving.
3. Go to Starsand Station and pick them up. This triggers an arrival cutscene, and both characters are added to your contacts list.
Important: if you do not pick them up on Summer 23rd, they may not appear later in that save. Some players have reported that missing the pickup window causes the quest to fail permanently. The community has suggested that the developers should make this an automatic cutscene to prevent players from being locked out.
Gust
In My Time at Portia, Gust is a talented architect and the son of the town mayor. He is known for his aloof personality, sharp tongue, and hidden romantic side. On Starsand Island, he lives across the street from Bloom Atelier (Serena's beauty salon), in the northeastern part of town.
Gust retains his reserved personality from Portia. During the day, he can be found sketching in town, visiting shops, walking near the waterfront, or studying the island's architecture. He is voiced by DJ Horn, who recorded new dialogue specific to Starsand Island.
Gust's Daily Schedule
Time | Activity |
|---|---|
Morning | Leaves his house and walks around town. Often found sketching near the waterfront or visiting shops. |
Afternoon | Wanders the town center, Bloom Atelier area, or the beach. |
Evening | Returns home. |
Rainy days | Stays indoors during rain. Only leaves at night to check on his sister Ginger. |
Gust's Gift Preferences
Reaction | Items |
|---|---|
Love | Hardwood Low Tea Table, Three-Seater Bench, Floral Hardwood Chair |
Like | Moonflower, Blue Hydrangea, Pasture Grass, Celeste Berry, Dragon Fruit, Chilled Twilight Salad, Cucumber, Red Sleep Lily, Midnight Herb |
Dislike | |
Hate | Copper Ore, Runebird Fragment |
Gust is unique in that his loved gifts are all furniture items, reflecting his architect background from Portia. You can craft these at Worktable or buy them from Lex Woodworks.
Ginger
Ginger is Gust's sister. In My Time at Portia, she suffers from a chronic illness and is one of the most beloved characters in the series. On Starsand Island, she appears in good health and lives at Unit 308, located due south of the town square.
Ginger is gentle, kind, and quietly curious about island life. She can often be found near gardens or the town plaza during the day. She is voiced by Ariel Marie Highwind, who also recorded new dialogue for Starsand Island.
Ginger's Daily Schedule
Time | Activity |
|---|---|
Morning | Leaves Unit 308. Walks around the town plaza and nearby gardens. |
Afternoon | Sometimes stays indoors for extended periods, making her harder to find. Check the upper window above the main gate if she is inside. |
Evening | Returns to Unit 308. |
Rainy days | Stays inside her house all day. She refuses to go outside during storms. |
Finding Ginger: Some players report that Ginger stays indoors for half the day, which can make completing her requests difficult. If she is inside and you cannot enter (below 3 hearts), you can interact with her through the upper window above the main gate when she stands near it.
Ginger's Gift Preferences
Reaction | Items |
|---|---|
Love | Sheep Plushie, Pink Fox Plushie, Blonde Doll |
Like | Celeste Berry, Pasture Grass, Moonflower, Blue Hydrangea, Watermelon, Berry Daifuku, Fluffweave, Mirthshroom, Blueberry, Strawberry Milk, Dragon Fruit |
Dislike | |
Hate | Bug Bait |
Ginger's loved gifts are all plushies and dolls, reflecting her gentle personality. These can be tricky to find early on; use Moonflower or Celeste Berry as reliable liked-gift alternatives until you locate plushies.
Friendship Mechanics
Gust and Ginger are not romanceable. Their affection caps at 4 hearts, compared to 5 hearts for the 15 romanceable characters. You can still give them daily gifts, chat, and complete their Bulletin Board requests, but the relationship does not progress beyond close friendship. You cannot ask them to move in with you.
Heart Level | What Unlocks |
|---|---|
1 Heart | They may start gifting you items during daily conversations. |
2 Hearts | You can invite them for a photo together. |
3 Hearts | You can enter their bedroom. Each room has two treasure chests: one with exclusive character-themed decor, and one that refreshes weekly with various items. |
4 Hearts (Max) | They post requests on the Bulletin Board specifically for you. Completing these gives character-specific items as rewards. Unique storyline events continue through this level. |
Both characters have unique storylines that deepen as your friendship progresses. These are separate from the main story and feature dialogue and events specific to their crossover status.
Differences from Regular NPCs
While Gust and Ginger function like normal islanders in most ways, there are several key differences from the 15 romanceable residents.
Feature | Regular NPCs (15) | Gust and Ginger |
|---|---|---|
Max Hearts | 5 | 4 |
Romanceable | Yes | No |
Move-In | Available at 5 hearts | Not available |
Arrival | Present from game start | Summer 23rd (requires train station) |
Bedroom Access | 3 hearts | 3 hearts (same) |
Bulletin Board Requests | Available throughout | Available; some players report they take up many request slots |
Unique Storyline | Profession quests | Crossover-specific friendship events |
Fang and Nia
Fang and Nia from My Time at Sandrock are the second pair of crossover characters. They arrive on the first day of Autumn, after the train station has been repaired. Unlike Gust and Ginger, they do not appear in a cutscene; you must go to Starsand Station and find them proactively.
Character | Residence | Loved Gifts | Liked Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
Fang | Far west side, overlooking the sea | Not yet confirmed | Celeste Berry, Echo Bean, Moonflower, Midnight Herb, Spirit Fruit, Grilled Chicken Wings |
Nia | Neighbors with Serena | Moonflower, Blue/Light Blue/Purple Hydrangea, Blue Sleep Lily | Wheat, Pasture Grass, Cherry Tomato Seeds, Celeste Berry |
Like Gust and Ginger, Fang and Nia are not romanceable and their friendship caps at 4 hearts. They follow the same friendship mechanics and can receive daily gifts, chat, and post Bulletin Board requests.
Known Issues
Missed pickup window: If you do not go to Starsand Station on Summer 23rd, Gust and Ginger may not spawn in that save. There is no second notification. Save before Summer 23rd as a precaution.
Ginger staying indoors: Ginger spends extended periods inside Unit 308, making her hard to interact with. The window interaction workaround (standing at the upper window above the main gate) can help. This is a known community complaint.
Bulletin Board slot usage: All four crossover characters (Gust, Ginger, Fang, Nia) post requests on the Bulletin Board, which some players feel takes up too many slots that could go to the main island residents.
Duplicate Ginger: At least one player has reported seeing two copies of Ginger walking around town simultaneously. This appears to be a rare visual bug.
Tips
Repair the train station as soon as possible to ensure you do not miss the Summer 23rd arrival window. The station quest becomes available during the main storyline.
Moonflower and Celeste Berry are safe liked gifts for both Gust and Ginger. Use these daily until you find their specific loved items (furniture for Gust, plushies for Ginger).
Track Gust and Ginger's locations using the Social app on your phone. The Map's Residents icon shows where every NPC currently is.
If Ginger is stuck indoors and you have pending requests for her, try visiting at different times of day. On sunny days, she tends to come outside in the morning hours.
Related Articles
Characters | Romance Guide | Gift Guide | NPC Schedules and Daily Routines | Starsand Station | Bulletin Board