Should stories have a moral ending?

I have to say that I am not a fan of stories with cruel, sadistic individuals who inflict spankings and other punishments because they enjoy causing pain even if the recipient has done nothing to deserve it.
The " moral ending" I like is when the spankee has done something to deserve punishment and gets what "they have coming to them." It may be the spoiled brat who finally meets her match, the scheming femme fatale whose conniving to get her way puts her bottom in jeopardy, or even the "good student" who makes a bad decision, breaks a rule, and gets caught.
Will take a strict but loving disciplinarian over a brutal authority figure anyday, whether it be a parent or a school official.
In a nutshell, if someone is to get a punishment or disciplinary spanking, its because they have been bad, not because someone wants to punish them for their own kicks.

[i]In a nutshell, if someone is to get a punishment or disciplinary spanking, its because they have been bad, not because someone wants to punish them for their own kicks.

I agree entirely. Bad behaviour being punished is what I look for, plain and simple. Firm but fair, well-deserved punishment.

Amen to the previous two comments.

In a lot of my stories, a "good" girl is punished, often for fatuous or trivial reasons, or for simply getting too close to the bureaucracy of spanking. However, in these stories the heroine secretly fantasizes about spanking, or gets off on it, so the "morality" aspect is she is punished for her naughty curiosities and fantasies, more than for the misdemeanor itself.

A lot of good points being made. I'll admit I've created a few characters in charge that multiple readers would have enjoyed seeing them being hit with a 'clue by four.' For the most part there is some form of moral response/reaction/outcome by the end of the story, but just as it's true in real life there have been a few protagonists who manage to get away with being flaming *ssholes.

It's an interesting question. I think it's preferable for stories to have a moral balance, but there are different ways that balance can be achieved. For example, I can accept a spanker who is unashamedly mean and sadistic - if they don't have much actual power and so the spankee had ample opportunity to avoid them.

Or, someone who is completely mild-mannered and sweet 99% of the time, but very occasionally has the opportunity or obligation to indulge their dark side, for example as part of a ritual or tradition.

There is a big difference between any story resulting in a natural morally equitable ending and a story that pushes a moral ending in your face. Happily I haven't seen much of the latter in spanking stories.

Whether it be in novels or movies I can't abide contrived morality hectoring from either the religiously pious Right or the Social Justice Left.

I surprised myself a couple of years ago by getting into domestic discipline stories, particularly several series by Susan Thomas.

What I liked was the creation of a world where spanking had its natural place in the order of things even though, in my everyday world, I would find a dominant male hierarchy with subservient women totally repugnant. However, this world was full of contented people, especially the women who were not servile. I know this is part of the artifice of good story telling and I was able to buy into it totally (for the duration of the series)

The enjoyment lay in my moral compass being simplified to a basic notion of fairness where the discipline always balanced the misdemeanour. Of course, as a male sub, I translated this world in my fantasises to a dominant female hierarchy with happily contented men who knew there role in society.

So, as an escape from the complexities of this world, I do need a moral ending. Even better if the whole story is underpinned with morality but, as others have said, as long as it is not contrived or too preachy.

On the other hand, there are days when I like spanking stories to reflect how the world really is - extremely unfair

Absolutely. Stories are best with a ring of truth and the simple truth is that sometimes the bad guys win. And I only have a preference for one or the other intermittently. The same kinds of "naughty person is caught and punished, whack-whack-whack" are boring beyond dry tears.

(I don't like getting the same flavor of ice cream every time I order either. LOL)

I agree KDP; however often for the bad guy/woman to win the spanking is non-consensual, which in a story I have no problem with, though I am sure some people do.