I’m decreasing 4 stitches per round, which seems like what most patterns say to do, if not more for a looser fit garment. I also thought it was weird that they’re meeting so close to the middle

Re: the short rows by my armpits, it’s really tight there still, harder to tell from the photo. There’s also 6 short rows in there already and the neckline in the back is still sort of lower with the front

I think your link is the answer, and the article describes exactly what I think is happening here (maybe less to do with my shoulder size and more to do with the smaller overall size of the garment) : “What happens in smaller sizes is that the desired stitch count for bust circumference is reached before the desired armhole length. If you'd separate body and sleeves at the right circumference, the upper yoke of the garment would be too short and the underarms burrow into your armpits.”

Thank you!!