wordwalker
Auror
I've always thought the point of the Journey was more to show common threads in most classic stories. No story fits it exactly, and it doesn't really insist on an exact set and order anyway, just that stories using some of these elements can and have tapped into a lot of what people want in a tale.
Can a journeying hero refuse to refuse the call, or rescue the princess early, or be the princess? Of course, and most of those may only put the story a little more different from the most average types than others.
It's an average of tales and appeals, to use as much as you want, no more.
Edit: as for the guy who disputed Star Wars, you know what it means when a purist calls something inadequate: it means his lips are moving.
Can a journeying hero refuse to refuse the call, or rescue the princess early, or be the princess? Of course, and most of those may only put the story a little more different from the most average types than others.
It's an average of tales and appeals, to use as much as you want, no more.
Edit: as for the guy who disputed Star Wars, you know what it means when a purist calls something inadequate: it means his lips are moving.