Looking for advice on 2024 Blade Singer Advancement

I played dnd extensively in my youth, way back in the expert/2nd edition days, then stopped, except for the occasional dnd type video game over the years. Recently I’ve joined a group playing 5.5 on VTT. I joined a group with an experienced DM running RAW, all of the group unknown to me. So I know the rules, but I’m learning a lot about how things actually flow and develop in real play.

I opted to play an Elven Blade Singer, and we are now around a dozen sessions in. I’ve learned about how this DM runs things, and I wish I had made a couple of choices differently, but what I have at this point is a Criminal background Blade Singer, level 5. I would appreciate some suggestions how to advance as I am about to go to level 6 and the campaign was predicted to go to level 14.

The party has changed significantly from the beginning, loosing an Artificer and a Paladin, adventuring for a few seasons with just me, a Sorcerer, and a Druid. Then we added a Ranger and a Barbarian, so my role and needs to be a good team player have shifted pretty significantly back and forth.

Abilities:

S 12

D 16

C 13

I 20

W 14

Ch 10

Feats:

Criminal (alert)

War Caster

I’ve watched YouTube guides with suggestions about dual wielding blade singers and I’m not opposed to most of that, but anything that is going to require loose rule interpretations by the DM isn’t going to work. The Ranger and the Barbarian are both dual wielding types, so I suspect any special magic short swords and scimitars are going to be less available to me. On the other hand at this point I have obtained a flame tongue rapier as well as a +1 dagger. I was planning on taking resilient Con for a feat at level 8, but maybe dual wielder? Just when I think I should embrace just being a wizard who happens to have a sword when it’s needed, the barbarian missed a session recently and I found myself leading the charge on the front line.

This has lately become a very combat heavy campaign, lots of not too hard fights, but for example in the last adventuring day I used all my uses of Bladesong and every spell.

So I’m looking for advice how to advance this character to be effective, especially feats at level 8 and beyond, thoughts about dual wielding or not, which spells to take, etc. due to group dynamics in play that are a bit complex I’d rather not multi class.

Thank you in advance if you read all this.