so I found the issue, and boy is it stupid -.-
when I took out the posts from the keg to dip in star san, all the poppets came apart. I put the universal poppet springs in backwards on both ends. I didn't get to testing the beer out post before realizing this and I didn't apply soapy water to that post either so I can't confirm if it was there the co2 was leaking, but the psi is stable as of now.
on a related issue if anyone can help me out, what do you guys do when the gas in dip tube is stuck? I don't know how it's stuck in there so bad but the dip tube alone won't come out. I tried pressing firmly from within the keg and just pulling as hard as I could from the outside, but there isn't much of a grip. I don't wanna use a wrench or anything and warp the steel or damage the o-ring. I'm thinking I'll just tap it with a hammer once the keg is empty from the inside, maybe cover the tupe with cloth to minimize denting. Any other suggestions?