Addendum

Does all that mean there should be at least one character clad entirely in power ribbons? Yes.

The Many Powers of Ribbons

Obviously you can have special ribbon handed down through centuries which must be won in a fighting tournament, and obviously there might be orders of fancy warriors marked by ribbons infused with magic which not only confer powers but allow the wearer to be tracked, but don't forget about collections of nanomachines which resemble ribbons which respond to their owner's thoughts, either because of a neural implant, psychic powers, or technology subtler yet such as monitoring muscle contractions.

Addendum

Come to think of it, does Beowulf actually take place in a super-advanced civilization with domed cities, and Grendel has nano-machines to make him stronger and more resilient against having his arm torn off? Probably, right?

Future Publishing Advancements

We already have books laced with drugs, but that just makes them to that particular book. How can we get people addicted to buying more books? Preferably ones that cost $3,200? The answer is nanodrugs. Technicians are already working on it, so you'd better start saving up.