For what it's worth, and if this is just about the cycles - there's always a bone channel in red, for selected bones. So, if you copy/paste these - the rest of the document/channels remain the same, or with the ongoing (background) animation on.

- btw, why it would have the swinging effect when animating the layer rotation, although it looks alive? Two things came to me mind - the centres of the circles and the rotation pivot point don't match (deploying grid while constructing/drawing could prevent it), or splitting the curve caused uneve...

It's a bit easier now to propose a solution. Color Points could help. Although it would not be applied to a stroke but rather on a ring, you may still achieve the desired effect. Unlike Color Drift, changes on CP can be animated. As in the example, you might need additional points for fine gradation...

Perhaps creating a duplicate layer/s, with those new colours, and then switching through visibility.

Or perhaps Color Points could be a handy alternative

Hi, D.K
I've bookmarked the New Posts page and it works like a charm.
I hope this could help you solve the issue.

p.s.
even the button, at the top, works on my end

My previous post was about adding/activating Exclude Strokes option. That way, you would not need Overlay because everything would be masked inside the shape but inside the stroke as well (no overlap, even from shapes going outside the head shape). However, you'd still have that fringe. Minimal but ...

Perhaps you could try these settings for the layer/s below the highlights and shadows

Kudos to you

Do you know what these, above the timeline. are there for?


hint

So, what if you save the file delete the character's group/layer adjust the things through the sequencer and then import the character, from that previously saved file through Import/moho objet, wherever you need it You keep all the animation for the character, it would be placed/timed as you like a...

" if i want to delay any character's start time.... "

What do you mean by this - delay?

I have no doubt offsetting would cause the crash. Why you keep insisting on it?
Either delay the start for particles or insert the character as a separate file (instead of offsetting) and it would all work well.

What am I missing here?

It could be I don't understand your issue or perhaps I didn't phrased it properly I did not offset the character, I imported the character (previously saved as a separate file) into another file with the playhead on frame 50, through Import/Moho object and it all worked well. So, the character is ac...

That would still mess the Particle folder.

I've tried with inserting the character on frame 50, with the playhead there, through the import/moho object and it worked just fine.
If you need to add some animation within the character - deploy unchecked On start and Particles on

Far as I can tell, the crash occurs only if you offset the particle folder.
So, if you already have an option "On at start" and "Particle On" why do you need the offset?

Perhaps I'm missing something.... You created the Particle folder and have not added anything to it, but instead, you deleted that other layer in that file. Why? The particle folder is there to gather things you'd like to have emited as particles. So, not only that you left the folder empty, you're ...