I've got to say that Franklin's melodrama is natural. Sure, he falls into the teenage trope of 'woe is me" and "no one understands" and "whatever". But he was creating universes. Now he can't. I may be pushing this, but Franklin could be symbolic of kids who lose something important (like a parent, or their health) and how they deal with it. He also doesn't really get the "regular kid" thing as he's grown up being special. He sees Val still hanging with Reed and although Franklin is probably a smart kid, he ain't a world class brain. Sure there are the kids on Yancy Street and that's an option, but Franklin's a teenager and teenagers are idiots. I've been one, I've raised one, and I've worked with thousands of teenagers who fluctuate between mature and moronic. This is the family stuff Slott (and I) think the book needs and in Franklin's case, it's spot on.