#Jade can be a boring dragon. it's fine. <- [said while seething with rage]

[vulturevanity]

The thing about storytelling is that there needs to be an introduction. The reader is meant to be familiarized with concepts existent in the story in order to be able to compare it with variations, subversions or elaborations of that concept. And even if people know what you're talking about, they may not know where you're coming from. Everyone knows what an earthworm is, but this is a dystopian fantasy sci-fi story; so is the fantasy sci-fi earthworm the same as real earthworms, or are they giant, vicious, carnivorous predators who lurk in their underground burrows and wait for prey to walk above them in order to strike? What is the status quo? And how important is it for the readers to get this information in order to have a greater comprehension of the story you want to tell?

If you want to craft a smooth reading experience, you don't start with a subversion. You first lay the groundwork for the developments to grow into whatever you want to convey.