[@Vertigo] From what I've reviewed, gunblades don't really shoot projectiles but create a targeted explosion that goes off by pressing a trigger once it makes contact with the target.

"In Final Fantasy VIII gunblades have a blade with a firing mechanism built into the hilt, the barrel running inside a part of the blade. They are mostly used like normal swords, but triggering a round causes the blade to release a targeted explosion as the weapon passes through an opponent to boost damage."

And from XIV: As of the Shadowbringers expansion, the Gunbreaker job introduces gunblades more in the vein of Final Fantasy VIII, defining itself from similar Garlean weaponry through the use of enchanted cartridges to produce magical effects. 

As for your question about Viera, they are still separated and the males are just more submissive in a cultural sense. ^^