Working on completing Chrono Cross for the umpteenth time around
I just reached Chronopolis and am almost to FATE. In the room on the 4th floor, the one that you can't access unless you talk to the chief down by the docks, they reveal what the Records of Fate were intended for. There are two screens behind it, which, ironically enough, show pictures from events that happened PRIOR to your arrival at Chronopolis. The camera on the left is zoomed in on the Viper Manor Ruins in Home World, where it just shows a broken gate. No Dario, no Porre guards, nothing. On the right, it'z zoomed in on the gates of Viper Manor, which I believe shows Solt and Peppor at the entrance. Although I can't be too sure of this.
<theory>
Chronopolis was originally a research facility that was started in the El Nido archipelago, before there was any land (besides Gaea's Navel) or anything. Presumably so that they could continue their research there without anyone in the world knowing about it. In my theory, up until the Time Crash, there was nothing in El Nido. At the time of the Time Crash, FATE decided that in order to prevent any further screw-ups in the future, she would create the El Nido Archipelago and populate it. The reason you can't see this in Chrono Trigger is because in that timeline, the Archipelago had not been created yet. So in 7600 BC, El Nido was populated. FATE also instigated all of the Records of Fate in an attempt to control her paradise. In the Home World, when Serge was attacked by the panther-demon, Schala/Kid heard his screams and saved him. At this point, the dimensions split, which was FATE's reaction to what had just happened. In one dimension, everything went as planned, following Serge's death. In the other dimension, Serge lives and FATE tries to manipulate him into coming back so that she can use him. So therefore, since Another World is "her dimension" she has complete control over it and all of its actions. But since the Home World is not directly her dimension, merely an offspring, she does not have complete control over it, only a way of glimpsing at it and trying her hardest to plant ideas in people's heads. But she really had no choice. If she hadn't split the dimensions, she would have been destroyed. Survival of the fittest.
</theory>
More or less, the Home World Records of Fate function perfectly in the eyes of the people, but in the eyes of FATE, they are broken. It would be like a security camera with a built in speaker. If the speaker is broken, all you can do is see what happens, you can't actually instruct anyone.
Anyways, that's my theory. I'm sure there's holes in it, but keep in mind, it is just a theory.