"Their will - his will"
psst- There is a reason Color is speaking in written text and Target with a font....
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Uzbekistan

seen from Singapore

seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Canada

seen from Russia

seen from United States
seen from China

seen from Singapore

seen from Spain
seen from Belarus
seen from Paraguay
seen from China
seen from Russia

seen from Russia

seen from Paraguay
"Their will - his will"
psst- There is a reason Color is speaking in written text and Target with a font....
Random doodles while I'm feelin down
hehe berry has kitty paws I would use him as a stress toy I bet he squeaks
⚠️toxic/abusive relationship⚠️(killermare)
@beforetheendowo this got really long so I'm making it its own post
answering this
I absolutely agree with the pushing boundaries part, Target would do or say things that obviously make Nightmare upset, he would openly show that he knows stuff about Nightmare he probably shouldn't, showing that Night wasn't careful enough in maintaining his perfect image and he would never admit to it but it makes Nightmare very unsettled and sometimes even scared.
Target would also sneak in on Nightmare to just watch him sometimes. He isn't that interested in him but it makes Nightmare tense up and Target can see behaviours he's never seen before, he can see that this perfect powerful being can be bothered by a pathetic mortal like him. That way he can get to know Nightmare better and use it to his advantage but also it makes Nightmare more prone to lash out, he can never take a break because at the back of his head there's always this irrational fear that Target might be watching him.
Basically Target pushes bounderies, gives him the silent treatment and annoys Nightmare because it amuses him to see his god vulnerable and that makes Nightmare more stressed leading to more abuse
Adding to all that I also think about Target being toxic because he worships Nightmare in a way, he believes that he is a god, a being far higher than him therefore Nightmare's actions are what he deserves. He knows he is used and abused, objectified and molded like "his new owner" wants it, but he just submits to it. He was already used by his AU's anomaly (Chara or whatever, I don't like that aspect of Something New, that it's just Chara) and when he thought he was free they got replaced by another abuser. He might think this is just his fate? But yea back to my idea-
Nightmare can never change or even reflect on his actions because Target doesn't resist, he follows orders, bows to him, never responds violently to him. It only takes one word for Target to throw away whatever he was doing and come to him like a dog.
I'm talking mostly about Target lol but that's cuz Nightmare is just so obviously abusive both verbally and physically, gaslighting and making others think they need him it doesn't need as much attention? But I will say what I think anyway
Aside from all you said, I also imagine Nightmare would use him as a kind of stress toy, when he needs to blow of some steam, or Target just says one word too much he might get thrown across the room or pinned to the nearest wall by his neck and yelled at. Some time ago I drew some things that might illustrate what I mean
Here and here
Also this is just for my headcanons but Target introduced himself just like that to both Dust and Horror and that's what they call him (in all versions I made for the gang) but in this one only Nightmare refers to him as "Killer" and of course, Target never corrects him. When Dust or Horror call him that either by accident or to tease him he always corrects them and it sometimes even turns into an argument but with Nightmare, nothing. Not a word.
So. Working for Nightmare or just living with him whatever interpretation you have- the gang wouldn't really have many resources or chances to get some nice things
Would Target be a cat like gift giver?
Would he bring Horror rats or leave little pretty rocks for Nightmare?
"Hey, look, that one is kinda purple, that's rare. And that looks like a banana, wouldn't eat it tho- I mean I wouldn't even eat a real banana"
"Ay Horror look what I got!"
"Wha- get out of my room?! Is that a fucking rat?"
"Oh- it got out"
"TARGET YOU SON OF A BITCH GET THAT RAT OUT OF HERE"
Date me. I’ll take you to the good chili’s!
As opposed to the Chili’s of the damned